Cover assemblies for covering objects

ABSTRACT

A cover assembly comprises a covering member having an object-covering shape, and a container for containing the covering member. The container has a containment configuration and a deployment configuration, and has a defined orientation relative to a notional object to be covered. The container also has an anchor for non-invasively maintaining the container in position on the notional object to be covered. The covering member is secured to the container at a predetermined position of the covering member and in alignment with the defined orientation of the container. Placement of the container at a predetermined position of the notional object to be covered corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member, with the defined orientation of the container matching the orientation of the notional object to be covered, aligns the object-covering shape of the covering member with a shape of the notional object to be covered.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No.11/448,801, filed Jun. 7, 2006, entitled “BARBEQUE COVER ASSEMBLY,” anda Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12,333,496, filedDec. 12, 2008, entitled “BARBEQUE COVER ASSEMBLY,” all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to cover assemblies, and more particularly tocover assemblies for use in covering various objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often advantageous to position a cover over certain objects whenthose objects are not in use. For example, barbecues, vehicles andoutdoor furniture may be covered when not in use, to protect them fromthe elements. As such, many different kinds of covers are known forcovering various objects. However, known covers are often difficult tofit onto and to remove from the object to be covered, and are also oftencumbersome and unsightly when not in use. In addition, during thedeployment and removal process, the covers are often dragged across theground, which is unsanitary and can lead to dirt being transferred fromthe cover to the object being covered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a cover assembly isprovided. The cover assembly includes a covering member for covering anotional object, and a container for containing the covering member whenthe covering member is not in use. The covering member has anobject-covering shape, and the container is selectively configurable ina containment configuration in which the covering member can be housedwithin the container, and a deployment configuration from which thecovering member may be deployed to cover the notional object. Thecontainer has a defined orientation relative to the notional object tobe covered, and the covering member is secured to the container at apredetermined position of the covering member and in alignment with thedefined orientation of the container. As a result, when the container isplaced in a predetermined position on the notional object to be covered,corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member, withthe defined orientation of the container matching the orientation of thenotional object to be covered, the object-covering shape of the coveringmember will be aligned with the shape of the notional object to becovered. This facilitates easy and rapid deployment of the coveringmember to cover the object. In addition, the container may be providedwith an anchor for maintaining the container in position on the notionalobject to be covered during deployment of the covering member. Theanchor may be, for example, a high-friction material, one or moresuction cups, one or more straps, or one or more magnets.

The defined orientation of the container may be defined by the positionof the front of the container, or otherwise by the shape andconfiguration of the container, or may be arbitrarily defined, in whichcase it could be indicated by a marking on the container or by otherindicia.

In one type of embodiment, the container is made up of a base having ananchor disposed on the underside thereof, and a plurality of wallsections secured to the base and moveable between an erectedconfiguration in which they can be selectively secured, and an outwardlycollapsed configuration. The container may optionally include a lid. Inother types of embodiment, the container may take the form of aclamshell or of various types of bags having anchors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of aspects of the present invention will now be described,by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acollapsible box-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, showing high-friction material on an underside of abase of a container;

FIG. 1A is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acollapsible box-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, showing suction cups on an underside of a base of acontainer;

FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acollapsible box-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, showing straps secured to a container;

FIG. 1C is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acollapsible box-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, showing magnets on an underside of a base of acontainer;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 located ontop of a notional barbecue, the container of the cover assembly havingits lid closed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, and showing the notional barbecue inits entirety;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container of the cover assemblyhaving its lid open and its walls in an erected configuration;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving straps on a rear wall and a second side wall of the containerunfastened;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open, thesecond side wall having been moved to an outwardly collapsedconfiguration, and having a strap on a first side wall of the containerunfastened;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open, thesecond side wall and a front wall of the container having been moved toan outwardly collapsed configuration, and having a strap on a rear wallof the container unfastened;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the rear wall, front wall and first and second side walls in anoutwardly collapsed configuration;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the rear wall, front wall and first and second side walls in anoutwardly collapsed configuration, with the barbecue cover having beenelevated above the container to provide a view of extension memberssecuring the barbecue cover to the container;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the rear wall, front wall and first and second side walls in anoutwardly collapsed configuration, with the barbecue cover having beenunfurled over the width of the notional barbecue at a central cookingportion thereof,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the rear wall, front wall and first and second side walls in anoutwardly collapsed configuration, with the barbecue cover extendedalong the length of the notional barbecue over one end thereof,

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the rear wall, front wall and first and second side walls in anoutwardly collapsed configuration, with the barbecue cover covering thenotional barbecue;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the front wall and first side wall in an outwardly collapsedconfiguration and the rear wall and the second side wall in an erectedconfiguration, with one lengthwise end of the barbecue cover having beenpulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from one end of the notionalbarbecue;

FIG. 13 is a detailed perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1on top of the notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lidopen and having the front wall and first side wall in an outwardlycollapsed configuration and the rear wall and the second side wall in anerected configuration, with one lengthwise end of the barbecue coverhaving been pulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from one end ofthe notional barbecue;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the first side wall in an outwardly collapsed configuration andthe front wall, rear wall and second side wall in an erectedconfiguration, with both lengthwise ends of the barbecue cover havingbeen pulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from each end of thenotional barbecue;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the front wall, rear wall and first and second side walls securedin an erected configuration, with both lengthwise ends of the barbecuecover having been pulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from eachend of the notional barbecue;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 1 on top ofthe notional barbecue of FIG. 2, the container having its lid open andhaving the front wall, rear wall and first and second side walls of thecontainer secured in an erected configuration, with the barbecue coversubstantially entirely disposed therein;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acollapsible box-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention, located on top of a notional barbecue;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of aclamshell-type cover assembly according to an aspect of the presentinvention and showing high-friction material on one clamshell portionthereof, located on top of a notional barbecue;

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 18,showing an outer surface of a first clamshell portion of a container,the container in a closed configuration;

FIG. 19A is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of aclamshell-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention and showing suction cups on one clamshell portionthereof,

FIG. 19B is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of acover assembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention andshowing straps secured to a container thereof,

FIG. 19C is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of aclamshell-type cover assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention and showing magnets on one clamshell portion thereof,

FIG. 20 is a view of the cover assembly of FIG. 19 with its container inan open configuration, showing outer surfaces of first and secondclamshell portions of the container;

FIG. 20A is a view of the cover assembly of FIG. 19A with its containerin an open configuration, showing outer surfaces of first and secondclamshell portions of the container;

FIG. 20B is a view of the cover assembly of FIG. 19B with its containerin an open configuration, showing outer surfaces of first and secondclamshell portions of the container;

FIG. 20C is a view of the cover assembly of FIG. 19C with its containerin an open configuration, showing outer surfaces of first and secondclamshell portions of the container;

FIG. 20D shows an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type coverassembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention with itscontainer in an open configuration and showing high-friction material onboth clamshell portions;

FIG. 20E shows an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type coverassembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention with itscontainer in an open configuration and showing suction cups on bothclamshell portions;

FIG. 20F shows an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type coverassembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention with itscontainer in an open configuration and showing straps secured to thecontainer;

FIG. 20G shows an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type coverassembly in accordance with an aspect of the present invention with itscontainer in an open configuration and showing magnets on both clamshellportions;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a cover assembly according to an aspectof the present invention, representing any of the cover assemblies ofFIG. 19, FIG. 19A, FIG. 19B or FIG. 19D, positioned on a notionalbarbecue;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 21positioned on a notional barbecue, showing a first stage of deploymentof a covering member of the cover assembly;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 21positioned on a notional barbecue, showing a second stage of deploymentof the covering member of the cover assembly;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 21positioned on a notional barbecue, showing a third stage of deploymentof the covering member of the cover assembly;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the covering member of the coverassembly of FIG. 21 completely deployed to cover the notional barbecue;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing a first stage of operations tomove the covering member of the cover assembly of FIG. 21 from a fullydeployed position to a contained configuration inside the container ofthe cover assembly;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing a second stage of operations tomove the covering member of the cover assembly of FIG. 21 from a fullydeployed position to a contained configuration inside the container ofthe cover assembly;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a third stage of operations tomove the covering member of the cover assembly of FIG. 21 from a fullydeployed position to a contained configuration inside the container ofthe cover assembly;

FIGS. 29A and 29B are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention to cover a notional automobile;

FIGS. 29C and 29D are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional automobile;

FIGS. 29E and 29F are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assembly according toan aspect of the present invention to cover a notional automobile;

FIGS. 29G and 29H are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional automobile;

FIGS. 30A and 30B are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention to cover a notional watercraft;

FIGS. 30C and 30D are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional watercraft;

FIGS. 30E and 30F are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assembly according toan aspect of the present invention to cover a notional watercraft;

FIGS. 30G and 30H are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional watercraft;

FIGS. 31A and 31B are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional trailer;

FIGS. 31C and 31D are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notionaltrailer;

FIGS. 31E and 31F are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notionaltrailer;

FIGS. 31G and 31H are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notionaltrailer;

FIGS. 32A and 32B are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention to cover a notional snowmobile;

FIGS. 32C and 32D are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional snowmobile;

FIGS. 32E and 32F are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assembly according toan aspect of the present invention to cover a notional snowmobile;

FIGS. 32G and 32H are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional snowmobile;

FIGS. 33A and 33B are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention to cover a notional motorcycle;

FIGS. 33C and 33D are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional motorcycle;

FIGS. 33E and 33F are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assembly according toan aspect of the present invention to cover a notional motorcycle;

FIGS. 33G and 33H are side views showing placement and deployment of anexemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional motorcycle;

FIGS. 34A and 34B are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional set offurniture;

FIGS. 34C and 34D are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional setof furniture;

FIGS. 34E and 34F are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional setof furniture;

FIGS. 34G and 34H are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional setof furniture;

FIGS. 35A and 35B are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a clamshell-type cover assembly accordingto an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional tool chest;

FIGS. 35C and 35D are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a collapsible box-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional toolchest;

FIGS. 35E and 35F are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of an upright bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional toolchest;

FIGS. 35G and 35H are perspective views showing placement and deploymentof an exemplary embodiment of a longitudinal bag-type cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention to cover a notional toolchest;

FIG. 36A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an uprightbag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of the presentinvention whose container is in the containment configuration;

FIG. 36B is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 36A,showing high friction material on an underside of the container;

FIG. 36C is a top perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 36Awith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 36D is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of anupright bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention whose container is in the containment configuration,showing suction cups on an underside of the container;

FIG. 36E is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 36Dwith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 36F is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of anupright bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention whose container is in the containment configuration,showing straps secured to the container;

FIG. 36G is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 36Fwith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 36H is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of anupright bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention whose container is in the containment configuration,showing magnets on an underside of the container;

FIG. 36I is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 36Hwith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 37A is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of alongitudinal bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention whose container is in the containmentconfiguration, showing high-friction material on an underside of thecontainer;

FIG. 37B is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 37Awith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 37C is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of alongitudinal bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect ofthe present invention whose container is in the containmentconfiguration, showing suction cups on an underside of the container;

FIG. 37D is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 37Cwith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 37E is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of anupright bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention whose container is in the containment configuration,showing straps secured to the container;

FIG. 37F is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 37Ewith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIG. 37G is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of anupright bag-type covering assembly in accordance with an aspect of thepresent invention whose container is in the containment configuration,showing magnets on an underside of the container;

FIG. 37H is a bottom perspective view of the cover assembly of FIG. 37Gwith its container in the deployment configuration, exposing a coveringmember;

FIGS. 38A to 38I depict placement and deployment of an exemplary coverassembly according to an aspect of the present invention to cover anotional automobile;

FIGS. 38J and 38K depict a collapsible pole according to an aspect ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 39A to 39D show cover assembly packages each comprising acollapsible box-type cover assembly and a substrate carryinginstructions for placement and deployment of the cover assembly;

FIGS. 40A to 40D show cover assembly packages each comprising aclamshell-type cover assembly and a substrate carrying instructions forplacement and deployment of the cover assembly;

FIGS. 41A to 41D show cover assembly packages each comprising an uprightbag-type cover assembly and a substrate carrying instructions forplacement and deployment of the cover assembly; and

FIGS. 42A to 42D show cover assembly packages each comprising alongitudinal bag-type cover assembly and a substrate carryinginstructions for placement and deployment of the cover assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One exemplary application of a cover assembly constructed according toaspects of present invention is to cover a barbecue. In such anembodiment, the covering member would be a barbecue cover and wouldtherefore have a barbecue-covering shape (i.e. have a shapecorresponding generally to the outer contours of the notional barbecueto be covered. The covering member can be housed within the containerwhen the container is in the containment configuration. The coveringmember includes an upper central portion (corresponding to the top of anotional barbecue to be covered) which is secured to the container witha particular orientation relative to the container. Specifically, theupper central portion of the covering member is secured to the containersuch that when the cover assembly is positioned on top of the notionalbarbecue with the defined front of the container aligned with the frontof the notional barbecue, the barbecue-covering shape of the coveringmember is aligned with the barbecue.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 to 3, an exemplary cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention is shown generally at10. The exemplary cover assembly 10 is designed to cover a notionalbarbecue, and is constructed accordingly. As will be explained ingreater detail below, it is to be appreciated that cover assembliesaccording to aspects of the present invention may be adapted to covermany other types of objects besides barbecues.

The cover assembly 10 comprises a container indicated generally by thereference numeral 12 and a covering member indicated generally by thereference numeral 14. In FIGS. 1-3, the covering member 14 is notvisible because in those Figures it is housed inside the container 12.

Most of the time, a notional barbecue will be idle, and it is at thosetimes that it is desirable to cover the notional barbecue, to protect itfrom the elements. At those times, a covering member 14 according to anaspect of the present invention will be deployed in a barbecuecovering-position, as shown in FIG. 11. When it is desired to use thenotional barbecue, a covering member 14 according to an aspect of thepresent invention may be packed into a compact arrangement, such as thecontainer 12 shown in FIG. 2, which sits on top of the notionalbarbecue, and then removed from the notional barbecue so that cookingmay begin. Once cooking is complete and the notional barbecue hascooled, the rectangular container 12 within which the covering member 14is housed may be placed back on top of the notional barbecue, and thecovering member 14 may be redeployed to the barbecue-covering position,as shown in FIG. 11.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3, the exemplary container 12 has a base16 and a plurality of wall sections, namely a front wall 18, a rear wall20 (not visible in the perspective view of FIGS. 1-3), a first side wall22 and a second side wall 24 (not visible in the perspective view ofFIGS. 1-4). In one embodiment, the base 16 and the walls 18, 20, 22, 24are substantially rigid. In an exemplary embodiment, the walls 18, 20,22, 24 are made from corrugated polyethylene sandwiched between twolayers of polyester-supported PVC material. Each of the walls 18, 20,22, 24 is secured to the base 16 and is moveable between an erectedconfiguration, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and an outwardly collapsedconfiguration, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. The erected configurationdefines the closed or containment configuration, and the outwardlycollapsed configuration defines the open or deployment configuration.FIGS. 4 to 7 show the transition between the erected configuration andthe outwardly collapsed configuration. In the illustrated embodiment,the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are each hingedly secured to the base 16 by wayof a living hinge arrangement, although other suitable arrangements,such as individual hinges, may also be used.

The walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are not permanently secured to one another, soas to enable movement of the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 to the outwardlycollapsed configuration. The walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are securable in theerected configuration; in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 16, thewalls may be secured in the erected configuration by way of straps andreceivers having complementary fastener elements which can secure eachwall to an adjacent wall. One example of a suitable set of complementaryfastener elements is a Velcro®-type hook-and-loop arrangement, which isused in the illustrated embodiment. More particularly, in theillustrated embodiment, the rear wall 20 has two straps 26A, 28A (seeFIG. 5) secured to its upper comers, with the straps 26A, 28A havingeither a hook region or a loop region for mating with complementary hookor loop patches 26B, 28B (see FIGS. 5 and 7) on the upper rear comers ofthe first and second side walls 22, 24. Similarly, in the illustratedembodiment each side wall 22, 24 has a respective strap 30A, 31A (seeFIG. 5) secured to its upper front corner, the straps 30A, 31A havingeither a hook region or a loop region for mating with complementary hookor loop patches 30B, 31B (see FIGS. 4 to 6) on the upper rear comers ofthe front wall 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the container 14 has a lid 32. The lid 32is hingedly secured by way of a living hinge to an upper end of the rearwall 20 of the container 12, and has a hinged flap 36, secured to thelid 32 by way of a living hinge, for overlapping an upper end of thefront wall 18 when the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are in the erectedconfiguration. The inner surface (relative to the container 12) of thehinged flap 36 and the outer surface of the upper end of the front wall18 each have disposed thereon two pairs of mating hook-and-loopfastening surfaces 40A, 40B. Optionally (not shown), only a single pairof hook-and-loop fastening surfaces, or more than two hook-and-loopfastening surfaces, may be used. Also optionally, where a cover assemblyis to be used to cover a barbecue, a container forming part of such acover assembly need not include a lid since, generally speaking, it willstore the covering member 14 only for the relatively short periods oftime during which a notional barbecue is in use or is cooling downthereafter.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover assembly 10 may be placed on top ofa notional barbecue denoted generally by the reference letter “B” (for“barbecue”). The base 16 has a layer of high-friction material disposedon an underside thereof, which serves as an anchor for non-invasivelymaintaining the container 12 on top of the notional barbecue once it ispositioned thereon. The high friction material may be, for example, aPVC-coated polyester scrim, such as that offered under the trademark“Gravitac” by the assignee hereof, and may be, for example,approximately ¼ inch in thickness. In one embodiment, the high frictionmaterial has approximately a 90 degree coefficient of friction.

It will be appreciated that high friction material is merely one exampleof a suitable anchor for non-invasively maintaining a container inposition on a notional object to be covered. (As used herein, the term“non-invasively” refers to the fact that the anchor, during normal use,does not penetrate or otherwise substantially damage the surface of thenotional object being covered.) Other examples of suitable types ofanchor which may be used in conjunction with a collapsible box-typecontainer, such as the container 12, are shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C.

Each of FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C shows an alternative embodiment of a coverassembly which is identical in construction to the cover assembly 10,except that a different type of anchor is used. As such, identicalreference numerals are used to refer to corresponding features, exceptthat the reference numerals end with a respective “A”, “B” or “C”suffix.

Referring first to FIG. 1A, the anchor for the container 12A comprises aplurality of suction cups 15A mounted on the underside 16A of thecontainer 12A, which can be used to secure the container 12A to asuitably smooth surface on the notional object to be covered.Optionally, in some embodiments, depending on the object to be covered,only a single suction cup may be used, or two, three or more than foursuction cups may be used.

In FIG. 1B, the anchor for the container 12B comprises a plurality ofstraps 17B secured to the underside 16B of the container 12B, which maybe used to secure the container 12B to the notional object to becovered. The straps may be secured to one another about the notionalobject to be covered by any fastening technique, such as snaps, buckles,belt-fastening, magnets, or the like, or may simply be tied to oneanother. The straps may 17B may be of any suitable width or thickness,ranging from belts to cables or strings. In some embodiments, only asingle pair of straps may be used, and a “pair” of straps may consist oftwo separate straps or a single continuous strap that can be formed intoa loop.

With reference now to FIG. 1C, when the predetermined location on top ofthe notional object to be covered includes at least a portion comprisingmagnetically attractive metal, the anchor for the container 12C maycomprise a plurality of magnets 19C disposed on the underside 16C of thecontainer 12C for removably securing the container 12C to a magneticsurface on a notional object to be covered. In the illustratedembodiment, the magnets 19C are disposed inwardly of an outer layer 21Cof the underside 16 c of the container 12C, so that the magnets 19C donot scratch the surface of the notional object to be covered. Becausethe magnetic effect of the magnets 19C will still extend beyond theouter layer of material 21C, the anchor comprising the magnets 1919C canstill be considered to be disposed on the underside 16C of the container12C. When the magnets 19C are constructed of a suitably soft material,they may be disposed exteriorly of the outer layer 21C of the underside16C of the container 12C. The exemplary container 12C has four magnets19C disposed on the underside thereof, depending on the size of themagnet(s) more or fewer magnets may be used, or a single magnet may beused.

The covering member 14 has a barbecue-covering shape in the sense that,when deployed, it can assume a three dimensional shape conforminggenerally to the shape of the notional barbecue to be covered, anddefines an interior volume that accommodates the notional barbecue.Referring specifically to FIG. 3, a typical barbecue, as illustrated bythe notional barbecue B, will generally have a length L that issubstantially greater than its width W, and a central cooking portion Chaving a greater height H_(C) than the height H_(S) of the side portionsS which may include, for example, shelves or side burners (not shown),or may be omitted from certain barbecues. As such, the covering member14 will have a corresponding length, width and height, somewhat largerthan those of the notional barbecue to be covered, and will have anupper central portion 42 (see FIG. 10) corresponding to the top of thenotional barbecue, or more particularly the top of the central cookingportion C of the notional barbecue. The covering member 14 may slopedownward from the upper central portion 42 towards its lengthwise ends,to conform to the general shape of the barbecue. It will be appreciatedthat a cover assembly 10 having a covering member 14 for covering anotional barbecue may be designed to accommodate a range of notionalbarbecue shapes and sizes. As such, from a commercial perspective onecould offer, for example, “small”, “medium” and “large” coverassemblies, with each size of assembly having a container 12 andcovering member 14 dimensioned to cover notional barbecues within agiven size range. Alternatively, a single “one size fits all” or “onesize fits most” construction may be used, with the dimensions of thecovering member 14 being determined by the size and shape (or range ofsizes and shapes) of the notional barbecue(s) or other notionalobject(s) to be covered. In this regard, a container having arectangular base 16 with a length of about 11 to 13 inches and a widthof about 8 to 10 inches, with walls 18, 20, 22, 24 having a height ofabout 5 to 7 inches, has been found to be generally suitable forcontaining a covering member dimensioned to cover typical notionalbarbecues.

With specific reference now to FIG. 8, the upper central portion 42 ofthe covering member 14 is secured to the container 12. Moreparticularly, the upper central portion 42 of the covering member 14 issecured to the container 12 in such a way that when the cover assembly10 is positioned on top of the notional barbecue B with the front wall18 of the container 12 aligned with the front of the notional barbecueB, the barbecue covering shape of the covering member 14 will be alignedwith the barbecue B. In other words, when the container 12 is placed ontop of the upper surface US of the of the central cooking portion C ofthe barbecue B with its front wall 18 facing substantially in the samedirection as the front of the notional barbecue B, the length of thecovering member 14 will be aligned with the length L of the notionalbarbecue B, and the width of the covering member 14 will be aligned withthe width W of the notional barbecue B. It will be appreciated that thisalignment facilitates placement of the covering member 14 over thenotional barbecue B. Thus, because the covering member 14 is housablewithin the container 12 when the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are in the erectedconfiguration (i.e. the containment configuration), once the container12 is placed on top of the notional barbecue B with their respectivefronts aligned, the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 can be moved to the outwardlycollapsed configuration (i.e. the container 12 is in the deploymentconfiguration) to permit the covering member 14 to be deployed to abarbecue-covering position (as shown in FIG. 11).

With reference now to FIG. 8A, in the embodiment shown the upper centralportion 42 of the covering member 14 is secured to the container by wayof two extension members 50. FIG. 8A shows the covering member 14elevated above the outwardly collapsed container 12 so that theextension members 50 are more clearly visible; it will be appreciatedthat when in use, the cover assembly 10 would seldom, if ever, be placedin the configuration shown in FIG. 8A. The extension members 50 may bemade from the same material as the covering member 14, or from anothersuitable material.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 8A, each extension member 50 has a first end50A secured to the container 12 and a second end 50B secured to theupper central portion 42 of the covering member 14. In the particularembodiment shown, the extension members 50 are rectangular in shape, andthe first end 50A of each extension member 50 is secured to thecontainer at a junction between the base 16 and one of the side walls20, 22 of the container. More particularly, each first end 50A andsecond end 50B of each attachment member 50 defines a respective edge50A, 50B, with each extension member 50 being secured to the container12 (at its first end 50A) and the upper central portion (at its secondend 50B) along the entire length of the respective edge 50A, 50B. Theextension members 50 may be secured to the container 12 and to the uppercentral portion 42 of the covering member 14 by any suitable technique,such as stitching or adhesive. Optionally, the extension members 50 maybe removably secured to the container 12 or to the upper central portion42, such as by hook-and-loop fasteners or snap fasteners, to permit thecovering member 14 to be cleaned.

While the covering member 14 may be secured directly to the base 16,such as by stitching the upper central portion 42 to the base 16 or bygluing the underside of the upper central portion 42 to the uppersurface of the base, it is believed that the use of extension members,such as extension members 50, provides certain advantages when the coverassembly is designed to cover a barbecue, as well as certain otherobjects. With reference now to the particular embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 16, the extension members 50 allow for some limited movementof the upper central portion 42, and hence of the covering member 14,relative to the container 12 while still securing the covering member 14to the container 12 in alignment therewith. Because the high-frictionmaterial on the underside of the base 16 (or suction cups 15A, straps17B or magnets 19C) will hold the container 12 in a substantially fixedposition relative to the notional barbecue B as long as it is notsubjected to excessive forces, the use of extension members 50 allowsfor some limited adjustment or “play” in the position of the coveringmember 14 relative to the notional barbecue B to which the collapsedcontainer 12 is anchored. In the illustrated embodiment, the relativeposition of the upper central portion 42, and thus of the coveringmember 14, can be adjusted along the length of the notional barbecue B,as denoted by the arrow P_(L), along the width of the notional barbecueB, as denoted by the arrow P_(W), or both, while maintaining the generalalignment of the covering member 14 with the container 12 (and hencewith the notional barbecue “B”). This improves the ease with which thecovering member 14 can be placed over the notional barbecue B. Thus, theupper central portion 42 of the covering member 14 is adjustably securedto the container 12, to allow for constrained adjustment of the positionof the upper central portion 42 of the covering member 14 relative tothe position of the container 12 during deployment of the coveringmember 14. The constraint on the positional adjustment will be definedby the length of the extension members.

In addition, where a container such as container 12 has sufficient mass,or where a container such as container 12A, 12B or 12C is used, the useof extension members such as extension members 50 may assist inpreventing the covering member 14 from being lifted off of a notionalbarbecue by a gust of normal wind. In particular, the extension membersallow the covering member 14 to be lifted some distance away from thenotional barbecue B so as to absorb the energy of the wind gust whilethe collapsed container 12 remains in position on top of the notionalbarbecue B.

Extension member arrangements different from those illustrated may alsobe used, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Forexample, a single suitable extension member may be used, or more thantwo extension members may be used. In one embodiment (not shown), theextension members may take the form of elastic or inelastic cordssecured at one end thereof at or adjacent the comers of the base 16 andat the other end to the upper central portion 42 of the covering member14.

As described above, the covering member 14 is housable within thecontainer 12, and would typically be housed in the container 12 when thenotional barbecue B is in use. Once the barbecuing operations have beencompleted and the notional barbecue B has cooled down, the coveringmember 14 would typically be deployed to cover the notional barbecue 14and protect it from the elements. An exemplary implementation of such adeployment process will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to11. It is to be appreciated that while the deployment process isdescribed in respect of the exemplary cover assembly 12, the identicaldeployment process, with minor modification, would be used for any ofthe alternative cover assemblies 10 a, 10 b and 10 c.

With reference first to FIG. 2, the cover assembly 10 is placed on theupper surface US of the central cooking portion C of the notionalbarbecue B. The high-friction material on the underside of the base 16(not visible in FIG. 4) anchors the container 12 and assists inmaintaining the position of the container 12 relative to the uppersurface US of the central cooking portion C of the notional barbecue Bduring subsequent deployment operations. (Where the cover assembly 10Ais used, the suction cups 15A would be secured to the upper surface USof the central cooking portion C of the notional barbecue B to anchorthe container 12A. Where the cover assembly 10B is used, the straps 17Bwould be used to anchor the container 12B to the upper surface US of thecentral cooking portion C of the notional barbecue B. If the uppersurface US is made of a magnetically attractive metal, such as suitabletypes of stainless steel, then the cover assembly 10C could be used, andthe container 12C would be anchored to the upper surface US of thecentral cooking portion C of the notional barbecue B by the magnets19C.)

Once the cover assembly 10 is positioned, as shown in FIG. 4 the lid 32is opened by separating the mating hook-and-loop fastening surfaces 40A,40B from one another and pivoting the lid 32 about its hinged connectionto the rear wall 20.

Referring now to FIG. 5, after the lid 32 has been opened, the strap 28Asecuring the rear wall 20 to the second side wall 24 is separated fromthe complementary patch 28B on the second side wall 24, and the strap31A securing the second side wall 24 to the front wall 18 is separatedfrom the complementary patch 31B on the front wall 18. This allows thesecond side wall 24 to be individually moved from the erectedconfiguration shown in FIG. 5 to the outwardly collapsed configurationshown in FIG. 6, by pivoting the second side wall 24 about its hingedconnection to the base 16.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 6, the strap 30A which secures the firstside wall 22 to the front wall 18 is separated from the complementarypatch 30B on the front wall 18, allowing the front wall 18 to be pivotedabout its hinged connection to the base 18 so that the front wall 18moves individually from the erected configuration shown in FIG. 6 to theoutwardly collapsed configuration shown in FIG. 7.

Still referring to FIG. 7, the strap 26A, which secures the rear wall 20to the first side wall 22, is separated from the complementary patch 26Bon the side wall 20. This enables both the rear wall 18 and the firstside wall 22 to be individually (or, optionally, simultaneously) movedfrom the erected configuration shown in FIG. 7 to the outwardlycollapsed configuration shown in FIG. 8.

It will be appreciated that the order in which the straps 26A, 28A, 30A,31A were separated from their respective complementary patches 26B, 28B,30B, 31B and the order in which the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 were moved fromthe erected configuration to the outwardly collapsed configuration, arearbitrary, and that these operations may be carried out in a differentorder without departing from the scope of the present invention.Moreover, it may in some instances be possible (although inefficient) toexecute the operations required to move one or both of the side walls22, 24 from the erected configuration to the outwardly collapsedconfiguration before opening the lid 32.

As shown in FIG. 8, the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 are in the outwardlycollapsed configuration, and the covering member 14 is ready to beplaced in a covering relationship with the notional barbecue B.

Now referring to FIG. 9, the covering member 14 which had been foldedor, in the case of a less fastidious user, “bunched up”, inside thecontainer 12, is unfurled over the width W of the notional barbecue B,as shown. Then, the covering member 14 is extended over the length L ofthe notional barbecue B, first over one end thereof, as shown in FIG.10, and then over the other, so that the notional barbecue B iscompletely covered by the covering member 14 as shown in FIG. 11. Itwill be appreciated that the covering member 14 could alternatively beunfurled first along the length L of the notional barbecue B and thenalong the width W, or in alternating lengthwise and widthwise steps. Ineither case, the process is simplified by the fact that the position andorientation of the covering member 14, relative to the notional barbecueB, is held substantially constant by the engagement of the high-frictionmaterial on the underside of the base 16 (or the suction cups 15A ormagnets 19C) with the upper surface US of the central cooking portion C(or by securing the straps 17B to the notional barbecue B).

An exemplary process for removal of the covering member 14 will now bedescribed. As shown in FIG. 12, one lengthwise end of the coveringmember 14 is pulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from one end ofthe notional barbecue B, and the second side wall 24 and the rear wall20 may be moved into the erected configuration as shown in more detailin FIG. 13 and secured to one another by affixing the strap 28A to thecomplementary patch 28B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the other lengthwise end of the coveringmember 14 is pulled in a lengthwise direction inwardly from the otherend of the notional barbecue B, and the front wall 18 is then moved intothe erected configuration and secured to the second side wall 24 byaffixing the strap 31A to the corresponding patch 31B.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the first side wall 22 is moved into theerected configuration and secured to the front wall 18 and the rear wall20 by affixing the respective straps 26A, 30A to their correspondingpatches 26B, 30B (not shown in FIG. 15). Thus, the container 12 has beenreturned to its erected configuration, and a portion of the coveringmember 14 is disposed therein.

With the container 12 in the erected configuration, the covering member14 can then be folded or “bundled” into the container 12 so that it iscompletely or substantially completely disposed therein, as shown inFIG. 16, and then the lid 32 may be closed and secured in the closedposition by securing together the two pairs of mating hook-and-loopfastening surfaces 40A, 40B located on the hinged flap 36 and the outersurface of the upper end of the front wall 18, respectively. The coverassembly 10 will thus have been returned to the initial condition shownin FIG. 2, and can, for example, be removed from the notional barbecue Bso that a user may prepare such suitable barbecued comestibles as may bedesired.

It is to be appreciated that the above-described process for removingthe covering member 14, and returning the walls 18, 20, 22, 24 of thecontainer 12 to the erected configuration so that the covering member 14may be housed therein, is merely one exemplary process for so doing. Thesteps of removing each portion of the covering member 14 from thenotional barbecue B, and moving each wall from the outwardly collapsedconfiguration to the erected configuration and securing it in thatconfiguration, may be executed in any suitable order.

In alternative embodiments of a cover assembly according to an aspect ofthe present invention, the straps 26A, 28A, 30A and 31A and theircorresponding patches 26B, 28B, 30B and 31B may be omitted entirely, anda different arrangement may be used to secure the walls 18, 20, 22, 24in the erected configuration. One such embodiment 110 is shown in FIG.17, which is substantially identical to the first embodiment 10described above, except that the front wall 118 and first side wall 122and second side wall (not shown) of the container 112 are secured in theerected configuration by respective corresponding hinged flaps 136A,136B and 136C on the lid 132. Each of the hinged flaps 136A, 136B and136C, and each of the front wall 118, first side wall 122 and secondside wall, have corresponding mating hook-and loop fasteners. The rearwall 120 is held in the erected configuration by securing the lid 132 tothe front wall 118, first side wall 122 and second side wall by way ofthe hinged flaps 136A, 136B and 136C. Thus, in the embodiment 110 shownin FIG. 17, it is the lid 132 which secures the walls in the erectedconfiguration. In a variation on this embodiment (not shown), a lid maycomprise a separate part and include a downwardly-extending peripheralrim, similar to the downwardly-extending peripheral rim on a shoeboxlid, and the downwardly-extending peripheral rim would serve to retainthe walls in the erected configuration when the lid was placed on thecontainer.

In another embodiment (not shown), the walls may be held in the erectedconfiguration by an actuating member in the form of a cord extendingaround the upper ends of the walls and passing through aperturestherein. The cord may be provided with a slider which retains the wallsin the erected configuration, and can be slid back to permit thecontainer walls to fall outwardly to the collapsed configuration toexpose the covering member 14. Conversely, to return the container tothe erected configuration, a user would pull the cord and slide theslider along the cord to abut the front wall of the container. A lidsimilar to lid 32 in the first embodiment may be provided. An example ofsuch an arrangement is shown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.20070283946 A1, which is co-owned by the assignee hereof.

In the exemplary embodiments 10, 10A, 10B and 10C so far described, therespective container 12, 12A, 12B, 12C has taken the form of arectangular parallelepiped. Other suitable shapes may, with suitableadaptation, also be used as outwardly collapsible containers for a coverassembly according to an aspect of the present invention. For example,the container may be a non-rectangular parallelepiped, or the containermay have a triangular prismatic shape or a pentagonal, hexagonal,septagonal, octagonal or greater-sided prismatic shape, with the basebeing either regular or irregular. In addition, a cylindrical containeror a container having an oval or elliptical base and a curved perimeterwall may be used, with the perimeter wall being divided into outwardlycollapsible sections.

Referring now to FIGS. 18, 19 and 20, an alternative embodiment of acover assembly according to an aspect of the present invention isindicated generally at 1900. The cover assembly 1900 includes acontainer 1902, and a covering member 2104 (see FIGS. 21 to 28)containable within the container 1902. The covering member 2104 issecured to the container 1902 by stitching, as described in greaterdetail below. The cover assembly 1900 may be a cover assembly forcovering a notional barbecue, as indicated in FIG. 18, or may be adaptedto cover a different type of object.

The container 1902 is a clamshell container, comprising a firstclamshell portion 1908 and a second clamshell portion 1910 pivotinglysecured to one another at respective inner edges 1912, 1914 thereof. Inthe illustrated embodiment 1900, the first clamshell portion 1908 andthe second clamshell portion 1910 are made from a flexible fabricmaterial, and are pivotingly secured to one another by way of a livinghinge 1916 (FIG. 20). The closed configuration of the clamshellcontainer 1902 is defined by the first clamshell portion 1908 and thesecond clamshell portion 1910 being in facing relation to one another asshown as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19; this closed configuration serves as acontainment configuration for containing the covering member 2104. Bypivoting the clamshell portions 1908, 1910 away from one another aboutthe living hinge 1916, the container 1902 can be moved into an openconfiguration to permit deployment of the covering member 2104. Thecontainer includes a fastener 1918 for securing the first clamshellportion 1908 and the second clamshell portion 1920 in facing relation toone another. In the illustrated embodiment, the fastener 1918 is azipper provided with two zipper sliders 1920; other types of fasteners,such as snap fasteners, hook-and-loop fasteners, and the like, may alsobe used.

As best seen in FIG. 20, the covering member 2104 (FIG. 21) is stitchedto the container 1902; in the illustrated embodiment the covering member2104 is stitched to the first clamshell portion 1908 at locations 1924adjacent the side edges thereof and a location 1926 adjacent the edgeopposite the living hinge 1916, and is stitched to the second clamshellportion 1910 at a single location 1928 adjacent the edge opposite theliving hinge 1916. The covering member 2104 can be attached to thecontainer 1902 at other locations and by means other than stitching,without departing from the scope of the present invention. Optionally,the covering member 2104 can be attached by way extension memberssimilar to the extension members 50 described above. Handles 1930 areprovided at the edges of the first and second clamshell portions 1908,1910 opposite the living hinge to facilitate carrying of the container1902 when it is secured in the closed configuration.

As noted above, the container 1902 has an anchor for maintaining thecontainer in position on the notional object to be covered. In theexemplary cover assembly 1900, the anchor comprises a layer ofhigh-friction material 1932 disposed on the outer surface of the firstclamshell portion 1908. As with the exemplary cover assembly 10, thehigh-friction material may be, for example, a PVC-coated polyesterscrim, such as that offered under the trademark “Gravitac” by theassignee hereof, and may be, for example, approximately ¼ inch inthickness. In one embodiment, the high-friction material hasapproximately a 90 degree coefficient of friction. The high-frictionmaterial 1932 assists in maintaining the container 1902 in position onthe notional object to be covered, such as the notional barbecue B asshown in FIG. 18.

As indicated above, high-friction material is merely one example of ananchor suitable for use in non-invasively maintaining a container inposition on a notional object to be covered, and other types of anchors,such as suction cups, straps, and magnets, may also be used.

Each of FIGS. 19A and 20A, 19B and 20B, and 19C and 20C shows analternative embodiment of a cover assembly which is identical inconstruction to the cover assembly 1900, except that a different type ofanchor is used. As such, identical reference numerals are used to referto corresponding features, except that the reference numerals end with arespective “A”, “B” or “C” suffix. Thus, the cover assembly in FIGS. 19Aand 20A is denoted generally by reference numeral 1900A, the containerin FIGS. 19A and 20A is denoted by reference numeral 1902A, and so on.

Beginning with FIGS. 19A and 20A, the anchor for the container 1902Acomprises a plurality of suction cups 1915A mounted to the outer surfaceof the first clamshell portion 1908A. The suction cups 1915A can be usedto secure the container 1902A to a suitably smooth surface on thenotional object to be covered. In alternate embodiments embodiments,depending on the object to be covered, more or fewer suction cups may beused, and in appropriate instances, only a single suction cup may beused.

Turning to FIGS. 19B and 20B, the anchor for the container 1902Bcomprises a plurality of straps 1917B secured to the outer surface ofthe first clamshell portion 1908A. The straps 1917B can be used tosecure the container 1902B to the notional object to be covered, and maybe secured to one another about the notional object to be covered by anyfastening technique, such as snaps, buckles, belt-fastening, magnets, orthe like, or may simply be tied to one another. The straps may 1917B maybe of any suitable width or thickness, ranging from belts to cables orstrings. In some embodiments, only a single pair of straps may be used,and a “pair” of straps may consist of two separate straps or a singlecontinuous strap that can be formed into a loop.

Now referring to FIGS. 19C and 20C, when the predetermined location ontop of the notional object to be covered includes at least a portioncomprising magnetically attractive metal, the anchor for the container1902C may comprise a plurality of magnets 1919C disposed on the firstclamshell portion 1908A for removably securing the container 1902C tothe magnetic surface on a notional object to be covered. In theillustrated embodiment, the magnets 1919C are disposed inwardly of theouter layer of material 1921C of the first clamshell portion 1908A, sothat the magnets 1919C do not scratch the surface of the notional objectto be covered. Because the magnetic effect of the magnets 1919C willstill extend beyond the outer layer of material 1921C of the firstclamshell portion 1908A, the anchor comprising the magnets 1919C canstill be considered to be disposed on the first clamshell portion 1908Ceven though the magnets 1919C are inward of the outer surface. When themagnets 1919C are constructed of a suitably soft material, they may bedisposed exteriorly of the outer layer 1921C of the first clamshellportion 1908A. The exemplary container 1902C has four magnets 1919Cdisposed on the first clamshell portion 1908A thereof, depending on thesize of the magnet(s) more or fewer magnets may be used, or a singlemagnet may be used.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 19 and 19A to 19C and FIGS. 20 and 20Ato 20C, the anchor (high-friction material layer 1932, suction cups1915A, straps 1917B and magnets 1919C) is disposed only on therespective first clamshell portion 1908, 1908A, 1908B, 1908C. Dependingon the notional object to be covered, it may be advantageous for theanchor to be disposed on both the first and second clamshell portions,as illustrated in FIGS. 20D to 20G. FIGS. 20D to 20G illustrateembodiments of clamshell-type cover assemblies identical in constructionto those shown, respectively, in FIGS. 19A and 20A, 19B and 20B, and 19Cand 20C, except that the anchor is disposed on both clamshell portionsrather than only on the first clamshell portion. As such, identicalreference numerals are used to refer to corresponding features, exceptthat the reference numerals end with a respective “D”, “E”, “F” or “G”suffix.

FIG. 20D shows a cover assembly 1900A in which high-friction material1932D is disposed on both clamshell portions 1908D and 1910D.Optionally, the clamshell portions 1908D and 1910D may be formed fromthe high-friction material, instead of having the high-friction materialform a separate layer. FIG. 20 e shows a cover assembly 1900E in whichsuction cups 1915E are disposed on both clamshell portions 1908E and1910E; alternatively more, fewer or a single suction cup may be disposedon each clamshell portion. FIG. 20F illustrates a cover assembly 1900Fhaving a first set of straps 1917F secured to the first clamshellportion 1908F and a second set of straps 1917F secured to the secondclamshell portion 1910F, and FIG. 20G depicts a cover assembly 1900G inwhich magnets 1919G are provided on the first and second clamshellportions 1908G, 1910G. As described in respect of the cover assembly1900C illustrated in FIGS. 19C and 20C, the magnets 1919G are disposedinwardly of the outer layer of material 1921G of the first clamshellportion 1908G to avoid scratching the surface of the notional object tobe covered and, since the magnetic effect of the magnets 1919G extendspast the outer layer of material 1921G, the anchor comprising themagnets 1919G can still be considered to be disposed on the first andsecond clamshell portions 1908G, 1910G. Alternatively, magnets 1919Gconstructed of a suitably soft material may be disposed exteriorly ofthe outer layer 1921G of the clamshell portions 1908G, 1910G. Dependingon the size of the magnet(s) more or fewer magnets may be used, or asingle magnet may be used for each clamshell portion 1908G, 1910G.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 21 to 28, which illustrate deployment andstorage of an exemplary clamshell-type cover assembly in accordance withan aspect of the present invention. The clamshell-type cover assemblyshown in FIGS. 21 to 28 is adapted to cover a notional barbecue, and isdenoted generically by the reference numeral 2100, and may be any of theclamshell-type cover assemblies 1900, 1900A, 1900B, 1900C depicted inFIGS. 19 and 20, 19A and 20A, 19B and 20B and 19C and 20C, respectively.Accordingly, the cover assembly 2100 comprises a container 2102 and acovering member 2104 secured at a predetermined position thereof to thecontainer 2102 by stitching at locations 2124, 2126 and 2128. Thecontainer 2102 comprises a first clamshell portion 2108 and a secondclamshell portion 2110 pivotingly connected to one another at theirrespective inner edges by a living hinge, and the container 2102 istherefore movable between a containment configuration for containing thecovering member 2104, and a deployment configuration for deploying thecovering member 2104. The container 2102 may be secured in thecontainment configuration, in which the first and second clamshellportions 2108, 2110 are in facing relation to one another, by way of afastener in the form of zipper 2118 which includes two sliders 2120(only one of which is shown, see FIG. 21). Each clamshell portion 2108,2110 is provided with a handle 2130 at its outer edge. The container2102 has an anchor, which may be a layer of high-friction material aswith the container 1900, one or more suction cups as with the container1900A, one or more sets of straps as with the container 1900B, one ormore magnets as in the container 1900C, or another type of anchor.Straps 2117 are shown in phantom in FIGS. 21 to 28 to illustrate how thestraps 1917B, 1917F would be used to anchor the container 1902B, 1902Fto the notional barbecue B2.

The exemplary cover assembly 2100 is adapted to cover a notionalbarbecue. A notional barbecue, different from the notional barbecue Bshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to 17, is shown in FIGS. 21 to 28, and is denotedby the reference B2. Like the notional barbecue B, the notional barbecueB2 has a central cooking portion, denoted by reference C2, whichincludes an upper surface, denoted by reference US2. The upper surfaceUS2 of the notional barbecue B2 is curved, unlike the flat upper surfaceUS of the notional barbecue B. As such, a cover assembly whose containeris formed from a flexible fabric material, such as the cover assembly2100, is well suited for covering the notional barbecue B2. Thecontainer 2100 has a defined orientation relative to the notional objectto be covered, in this case the notional barbecue B2. For the particularexemplary cover assembly 2100, this orientation is defined by thehandles 2130 being aligned with the front of the notional barbecue B2while the first clamshell portion 2108 is facing the upper surface US2of the central cooking portion C2. Because the notional object to becovered is the notional barbecue B2, the covering member 2104 has asuitable object-covering shape, namely a barbecue-covering shape. Moreparticularly, the covering member 2104 includes an upper central portion2134 (see FIG. 25) corresponding to a predetermined position on an uppersurface of the notional barbecue to be covered, namely the upper surfaceUS2 of the central cooking portion C2. It is this upper central portion2134 which is secured to the container 2102 (see FIG. 25).

Deployment of the covering member 2104 of the cover assembly 2100 is nowdescribed.

Now referring specifically to FIG. 21, the cover assembly 2100, securedin its closed or containment configuration, is placed on the uppersurface US2 of the notional barbecue B2, with the handles 2130 facing inthe same direction as the front of the barbecue and the first clamshellportion 2108 facing the upper surface US2 so that the anchor can engagethe upper surface US2. The defined orientation of the container 2102 isthus co-oriented with the shape of the notional object to be covered,namely the notional barbecue B2, which aligns the shape of the coveringmember 2104 with the shape of the notional barbecue B2. This will permitdeployment of the covering member 2104 to cover the notional barbecue B2when the container 2102 is in the open configuration.

The first and second clamshell portions 2108 and 2110 are unfastenedfrom one another by using the zipper sliders 2120 to open the zipper2118. This process is shown partially completed in FIG. 21.

With reference now to FIG. 22, once the first and second clamshellportions 2108 and 2110 are unfastened from one another, the container2102 is moved to the open or deployment configuration, in which thecovering member 2104 is exposed from deployment. FIG. 22 shows thecontainer 2102 at an intermediate stage between the closed orcontainment configuration and the open or deployment configuration. Forthe particular exemplary cover assembly 2100 illustrated in FIGS. 21 to28, in the open or deployment configuration the first clamshell portion2108 will rest on the upper surface US2 of the notional barbecue B2,while the second clamshell portion 2110 will hang behind the centralcooking portion C2, as shown in FIG. 23.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 23, once the container 2102 is in the openor deployment configuration, the covering member 2104, which was foldedor bunched inside the closed container 2102, can be unfurled anddeployed to cover the object in question, in this case the notionalbarbecue B2. More particularly, the covering member is pulled over thefront, back and sides of the notional barbecue B2, with the securementof the upper central portion 2134 of the covering member 2104 to thecontainer 2102, in cooperation with the anchor on the container 2102,assisting in maintaining alignment of the barbecue-covering shape of thecovering member 2104 with the notional barbecue B2. FIG. 23 shows thebeginning of this unfurling and deployment process, and FIG. 24 shows anintermediate stage of the unfurling and deployment process. FIG. 25shows the covering member 2104 having been completely deployed to coverthe notional barbecue B2.

Return of the covering member 2104 from the deployed position shown inFIG. 25 to a contained position within the container 2101 is essentiallythe reverse of the deployment process. The covering member 2104 ispulled back from the sides, front and back of the notional barbecue B2,and preferably folded into a stack on top of the first clamshell portion2108, or on top of both the first and second clamshell portions 2108 and2110. FIG. 26 shows the beginning of this process and FIG. 27 shows anintermediate stage in this process. Alternatively, a less fastidioususer may simply bunch the covering member 2104 into a pile on top of thefirst clamshell portion 2108 or on top of both the first and secondclamshell portions 2108 and 2110. Following either the folding orbunching process, the container 2102 can be moved into the closedconfiguration, with the first and second clamshell portions 2108 and2110 in facing relation to one another, essentially as shown in FIG. 21.FIG. 28 shows the container 2102 at an intermediate stage between theopen or deployment configuration and the closed or containmentconfiguration. Once the container 2102 is in the closed or containmentconfiguration, with the first and second clamshell portions 2108 and2110 facing one another, the container can be secured in thatconfiguration by way of the zipper 2118 and the zipper sliders 2110.

While clamshell-type cover assembly 2100 shown in FIGS. 21 to 28 may beany of the clamshell-type cover assemblies 1900, 1900A, 1900B, 1900Cdepicted in FIGS. 19 and 20, 19A and 20A, 19B and 20B and 19C and 20C,respectively, it is to be appreciated that any of the clamshell-typecover assemblies 1900D, 1900E, 1900F and 1900G shown in FIGS. 20D to 20Gmay be deployed in substantially the same manner.

Discussion herein has thus far been directed to cover assemblies adaptedfor use in covering a notional barbecue, in that the covering member hashad a shape corresponding generally to the shape of a notional barbecue.One skilled in the art will, now informed by the herein disclosure,appreciate that an object-specific cover assembly for a wide variety ofdifferent types of object may be constructed according to an aspect ofthe present invention by providing a covering member having a suitablesize and shape, and providing a container of suitable size to containthe covering member. For example, and without limitation, a coverassembly constructed similarly to the cover assembly 10 can be providedwith a boat-shaped covering members so that it can be used to cover aboat, or a vehicle-shaped covering member so that it can be used tocover a vehicle, without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Thus, aspects of the present invention may be applied to create anobject-specific cover assembly for covering virtually any arbitraryobject of reasonable size. Such a cover assembly will comprise acontainer, and a covering member. As has been described above, thecontainer is movable between an open or deployment configuration and aclosed or containment configuration, and the covering member iscontainable within the container when the container is in the closedconfiguration and is exposed for deployment when the container is in theopen configuration.

The container has a defined orientation relative to a notional object tobe covered. In the exemplary cover assembly 10, this orientation isdefined by alignment of the front wall 18 with the front of the notionalbarbecue B when the container 12 is upright; in the case of theexemplary cover assembly 2100, this orientation is defined by alignmentof the handles 2130 with the front of the notional barbecue B2 while thefirst clamshell portion 2108 faces the upper surface US2 of centralcooking portion C2 of the notional barbecue B2. Other techniques fordefining the orientation of the container relative to the object to becovered may also be used, such as providing a marking on the container.

The container also has an anchor for non-invasively maintaining thecontainer in position on the notional object to be covered. Examples oftypes of anchors which may be used include layer of high-frictionmaterial disposed on an underside of the container; one or more suctioncups, one or more magnets, and straps, may also be used. In addition,combinations of different types of anchors may be used for the samecontainer.

The covering member has a size and shape corresponding generally to ashape of the notional object to be covered, and therefore has anobject-covering shape. In the exemplary cover assemblies describedabove, the notional object to be covered was a notional barbecue, so thecovering members had a barbecue-covering shape. The shape of thecovering member will depend on the notional object to be covered. Acovering member forming part of a cover assembly according to an aspectof the present invention may be of any suitable construction. Coveringmembers for cover assemblies according to aspects of the presentinvention may be made from any suitable, flexible sheet-like materialhaving suitable resistance to environmental factors such as heat, coldand precipitation. Such materials may include flexible fabric materialssuch as PVC, polyester, polyester-supported PVC, polyurethane-coatedpolyester, PVC-coated polyester, polyethylene-coated polyester,spun-bonded non-woven material (polypropylene), as well as naturalmaterials such as leather, bamboo, hemp, and other organic/eco-friendlyfibers.

The covering member is secured to the container at a predeterminedposition of the covering member; typically the covering member includesa portion corresponding to a predetermined position on an upper surfaceof the notional object to be covered. Thus, for the exemplary coverassemblies 10 and 2100, which were adapted to cover a notional barbecue,the predetermined position of the covering member is the upper centralportion 42, 2134 thereof, and the corresponding predetermined positionon the upper surface of the notional object to be covered was therespective upper surface US, US2 of the respective central cookingportion C, C2 of the respective notional barbecue B, B2. As has beenillustrated in the barbecue-covering context, placement of the containerat the predetermined position of the notional object to be covered,which position on the notional object corresponds to the predeterminedposition of the covering member, with the defined orientation of thecontainer matching (i.e. co-oriented with) the orientation of thenotional object to be covered, will align the object-covering shape ofthe covering member with the shape of the notional object to be covered.In the case of exemplary cover assemblies 10 and 2100, which wereadapted to cover a notional barbecue, such placement aligns thebarbecue-covering shape of the covering members 14, 2132 with the shapeof the respective notional barbecue B, B2. Thus, the upper portion ofthe covering member is secured to the container in cooperation with thedefined orientation of the container so that when the cover assembly ispositioned at the predetermined position on the upper surface of thenotional object to be covered with the defined orientation of thecontainer co-oriented with the shape of the notional object to becovered, the shape of the covering member is aligned with the notionalobject to be covered. This permits easy deployment of the coveringmember to cover the notional object to be covered when the container isin the open configuration, since the shape of the covering member isaligned with, and anchored relative to, the notional object to becovered.

Clamshell-type cover assemblies according to aspects of the presentinvention may be formed from rigid or flexible fabric materials. When acover assembly according to an aspect of the present invention uses aclamshell container made from a flexible fabric material, the containerwill define a bag. Other types of bags, typically constructed from aflexible fabric material, may also be used as a container for a coverassembly according to an aspect of the present invention.

A further exemplary embodiment of a cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 36A to 36C, and isindicated generally by the reference numeral 3600. The cover assembly3600 comprises a container 3602 and a covering member 3604 (visible inFIG. 36C).

The container 3602 takes the form of an upright bag 3602 comprising abase 3603 and a flexible circumferential wall 3605 secured to andextending upwardly from the base 3603. The base 3603 defines theunderside of the bag 3602, and an anchor in the form of a layer ofhigh-friction material 3607, such as PVC-coated polyester scrim offeredunder the trademark “Gravitac” by the assignee hereof, is disposed onthe outer surface of the base 3603. The circumferential wall 3605defines, when in the containment configuration as shown in FIGS. 36A and36B, an upper aperture 3606 opposed to the base 3603, and a plurality ofeyelets 3608 are defined in a reinforced rim 3610 surrounding the upperaperture 3606. A cord 3612 is threaded through the eyelets 3608, and canbe tightened and tied or otherwise fastened to secure the bag 3602 in aclosed or containment configuration in which the covering member 3604 iscontained inside the bag 3602, as shown in FIGS. 36A and 36B. The bag3602 can be moved from the closed or containment configuration into theopen or deployment configuration by loosening the cord 3612 to open theupper aperture 3606 and then moving the reinforced rim 3610 toward thebase 3603 to expose the cover member 3604 for deployment, as shown inFIG. 36C.

The covering member 3604 may be sized and shaped to match the shape ofwhichever notional object or general type of object it is intended tocover, and is secured to the bag 3602 at a predetermined position of thecovering member 3604. For example, the covering member 3604 could besecured to the base 3603, or to lower portions of the circumferentialwall 3605. Because the shape of the bag 3602 does not inherently definean orientation of the bag relative to a notional object to be covered,the orientation is defined by a marking on the bag 3602, in the form ofan arrow 3640 containing the word “FRONT”, thus indicating the front ofthe bag, which should be aligned with the front of the notional objectto be covered. Thus, placement of the bag 3602 at the predeterminedposition of the notional object to be covered, corresponding to thepredetermined position of the covering member 3604, with the definedfront of the bag 3602 facing in the same direction as the front of thenotional object to be covered, so that they are co-oriented, will alignthe object-covering shape of the covering member 3604 with the shape ofthe notional object to be covered. Of course, a marking such as thearrow 3640 need not define a front of the bag 3602, but can define, forexample, a particular side or the rear of the bag 3602. The anchor,namely the high-friction material 3607, will assist in maintaining thebag 3602 in position on the notional object, and thus help to maintainthe orientation of the covering member 3604 during deployment thereof.

The pairs of FIGS. 36D and 36E, 36F and 36G and 36H and 36I each show analternative embodiment of a cover assembly which is identical inconstruction to the cover assembly 3600 shown in FIGS. 36A to 36C,except that a different type of anchor is used. As such, identicalreference numerals are used to refer to corresponding features, exceptthat the reference numerals end with a respective “D”, “F” or “H”suffix.

Turning first to FIGS. 36D and 36E, the anchor for the bag 3602Dcomprises a plurality of suction cups 3615D mounted to the outer surfaceof the base 3603D, for anchoring the bag 3602D to a suitably smoothsurface on the notional object to be covered. Depending on the object tobe covered, more or fewer suction cups may be used, and in appropriateinstances, only a single suction cup may be used.

Now referring to FIGS. 36F and 36G, the anchor for the bag 3602Fcomprises a plurality of straps 3617F secured to the outer surface ofthe base 3603F. The straps 3617F can be used to anchor the bag 3602F tothe notional object to be covered, and may be secured to one anotherabout the notional object to be covered by any fastening technique, suchas snaps, buckles, belt-fastening, magnets, or the like, or may simplybe tied to one another. The straps may 3617F may be of any suitablewidth or thickness, ranging from belts to cables or strings. In someembodiments, only a single pair of straps may be used, and a “pair” ofstraps may consist of two separate straps or a single continuous strapthat can be formed into a loop.

Referring now to FIGS. 36H and 36I, when the predetermined location ontop of the notional object to be covered includes at least a portioncomprising magnetically attractive metal, the anchor for the bag 3602Hmay comprises a plurality of magnets 3619H disposed on the base 3603Hfor removably securing the bag 3602H to the portion of the notionalobject comprising magnetically attractive metal. In the illustratedembodiment, the magnets 3619H are disposed inwardly of the outer layerof material 3621H of the base 3603H, so that the magnets 3619H do notscratch the surface of the notional object to be covered; as explainedabove, the anchor comprising the magnets 3619H can still be consideredto be disposed on the base 3603H. When the magnets 3619H are formed froma suitably soft material, they may be disposed exteriorly of the outerlayer 3621H of the base 3603H. While the exemplary container 3602H hasfour magnets 3619H disposed on the base 3603H, more or fewer magnets maybe used, or a single magnet may be used, depending on the size of themagnet(s).

A still further exemplary embodiment of a cover assembly according to anaspect of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 37A to 37B, andis indicated generally by the reference numeral 3700. The cover assembly3700 comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag 3702, and acovering member 3704 (visible in FIG. 37B). The longitudinal bag 3702comprises a rigid or substantially rigid base 3703 and two opposed sideportions 3705 each having a side wall 3706 and two opposed semi-circularend walls 3708. The two opposed side portions 3705 may be made of aflexible fabric material. A closed or containment configuration isdefined by the two opposed side portions 3705 being in facing relationto one another, as shown in FIG. 37A, and the opposed side portions 3705can be secured in this position by way of one or more fasteners. In theillustrated embodiment 3600, the fastener takes the form of a zipper3712 comprising two zipper halves extending along the mating edges ofthe two opposed side portions 3705. An open or deployment configurationis defined by the two opposed side portions 3705 having been pulled awayfrom one another, as shown in FIG. 37B. Straps 3730, which may besecured to the base 3703, the opposed side portions 3705, or both, areprovided for carrying the bag 3702.

The base 3703 defines the underside of the bag 3702, and an anchor inthe form of a layer of high-friction material 3707, such as PVC-coatedpolyester scrim offered under the trademark “Gravitac” by the assigneehereof, is disposed on the outer surface of the base 3703.

The covering member 3704 is sized and shaped to match the shape ofwhatever type of notional object it will be used to cover, and issecured to the bag 3702 at a predetermined position of the coveringmember 3704. For example, the covering member 3704 could be secured tothe base 3703, or to lower portions of the two opposed side portions3705. Similarly to the bags 3600, 3600D, 3600F and 3600H, theorientation of the bag 3702 relative to a notional object to be coveredis defined by a marking on the bag 3702, in the form of an arrow 3740containing the word “FRONT”, thus indicating the front of the bag, whichwould typically be aligned with the front of the notional object to becovered. Of course, a marking such as the arrow 3640 need not define afront of the bag 3702, but can define, for example, a particular side orthe rear of the bag 3702, and the bag could be correspondingly alignedwith the notional object to be covered. Accordingly, by placing the bag3702 at the predetermined position of the notional object to be covered,corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member 3704,with the defined front of the bag 3702 facing in the same direction asthe front of the notional object to be covered, so that they areco-oriented, the user will have aligned the object-covering shape of thecovering member 3704 with the shape of the notional object to becovered. The anchor, in particular the high-friction material 3707,helps to keep the bag 3702 in position on the notional object duringdeployment thereof.

The pairs of FIGS. 37C and 37D, 37E and 37F and 37G and 37H show otherembodiments of cover assemblies in which a different type of anchor isused, but which are otherwise identical in construction to the coverassembly 3700 shown in FIGS. 37A and 37B. Accordingly, the samereference numerals have been used to refer to corresponding features,except that the reference numerals end with a respective suffix ofeither “C”, “E” or “G”.

Beginning with FIGS. 37C and 37D, the anchor on the base 3703C of thebag 3702C comprises a plurality of suction cups 3715C for anchoring thebag 3702D to a suitably smooth surface on the notional object to becovered. As explained above, more or fewer suction cups may be used, andin appropriate instances, only a single suction cup may be used,depending on the object to be covered.

With reference now to FIGS. 37E and 37F, the anchor for the bag 3702Ecomprises a plurality of straps 3717E, which are secured to the outersurface of the base 3703E. The straps 3717E, when fastened, will anchorthe bag 3702E to the notional object to be covered, and may be securedto one another about the notional object to be covered by any suitablefastening technique, including snaps, buckles, belt-fastening, magnets,or the like, or by tying opposed straps to one another. The straps 3717Emay have any suitable width or thickness, and may take the form ofbelts, cables, strings or other types of strap. In certain embodiments,there may be only a single pair of straps. Moreover, a “pair” of strapsmay consist of two separate straps or a single continuous strap that canbe formed into a loop.

Now referring now to FIGS. 37G and 37H, in situations where thepredetermined location on top of the notional object to be coveredincludes at least a portion comprising magnetically attractive metal, acover assembly such as cover assembly 3700G may be used. The anchor forthe bag 3702G comprises a plurality of magnets 3719G disposed on thebase 3703G, which can be used to removably secure the bag 3702G to theportion of the notional object comprising magnetically attractive metal.In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 37G and 37H, the magnets 3719G arepositioned inwardly of the outer layer of material 3721G of the base3703G. This configuration inhibits the magnets 3719G from scratching thesurface of the notional object to be covered; the anchor comprising themagnets 3719G is still considered to be disposed on the base 3703G. Whenthe material of the magnets 3719G is a suitably soft material, themagnets 3719G may be disposed directly on the outer layer 3721G of thebase 3703G. The exemplary container 3702G has four magnets 3719Gdisposed on the base 3703G; more or fewer magnets, or even a singlemagnet, may be used depending on the size(s) thereof.

As stated above, a notional barbecue is simply one example of many typesof notional objects which a cover assembly according to an aspect of thepresent invention may be adapted to cover. With suitable adaptation,cover assemblies according to aspects of the present invention may beused to cover a wide variety of notional objects.

With reference now to FIGS. 29A to 29H, 30A to 30H, 31A to 31H, 32A to31H, 32A to 32H, 33A to 33H, 34A to 34H and 35A to 35H, deployment ofvarious cover assemblies according to various aspects of the presentinvention is illustrated.

In FIGS. 29A and 29B, a first cover assembly 2900A for covering anotional automobile is placed in a predetermined position on an uppersurface of a notional automobile 2950. The cover assembly 2900A is aclamshell-type cover assembly, comprising a container 2902A and a covermember 2904A, and accordingly may have the same construction as any ofthe clamshell-type cover assemblies 1900, 1900A, 1900B, 1900C, 1900D,1900E, 1900F and 1900G, except that the covering member 2904A is sizedand shaped to cover the notional automobile 2950. Thus, the container2950 has a containment configuration for containing the covering memberand a deployment configuration for deploying the covering member. InFIG. 29A, the container is shown in the containment configuration. Thecontainer 2902A also has a defined orientation relative to the notionalautomobile 2950, which is defined by having the handles 2930A facetoward the rear of the notional automobile 2950. The container 2902Aalso includes an anchor, which may be a high-friction material, one ormore suction cups, straps, one or more magnets, or another type ofanchor for non-invasively maintaining the container in position on thenotional automobile 2950. The covering member 2904A is secured to thecontainer 2902A at a predetermined position of the covering member2904A, namely the portion of the covering member 2904A that will coverthe roof of the notional car to be covered, and in alignment with thedefined orientation of the container 2902A. As shown in FIG. 29A, thecontainer 2902A is placed at a predetermined position of the notionalautomobile 2950 corresponding to the predetermined position of thecovering member 2904A, that is, on the roof of the notional car 2904A,with the defined orientation of the container 2902A matching anorientation of the notional object to be covered (i.e. the handles 2930Apointing toward the rear of the car). This placement aligns theautomobile-covering shape of the covering member 2904A with the shape ofthe notional automobile 2950, permitting easy deployment of the coveringmember 2904A once the container 2902A is moved to the deploymentconfiguration. FIG. 29B shows the covering member 2904A having beendeployed to cover the notional automobile 2950.

In FIGS. 29C and 29D, a second cover assembly 2900C for covering thenotional automobile 2950 is shown. The cover assembly 2900C is acollapsible box-type cover assembly, and includes a container 2902Acomprising outwardly collapsible walls and a cover member 2904A. Thecovering member 2904C of the cover assembly 2900C is sized and shaped tocover the notional automobile 2950, but the cover assembly 2900C mayotherwise be constructed identically to any of the collapsible box-typecover assemblies 10, 10A, 10B, 10C. Accordingly, the container 2902C hasa containment configuration in which it can contain the covering member2904C and a deployment configuration from which the covering member2904C may easily be deployed. In FIG. 29C, the container 2902C is shownin the containment configuration. As has been explained, the container2902C also has a defined orientation relative to the notional automobile2950. In the illustrated embodiment, this orientation is defined byhaving the side of the container 2902C having the lid flap face towardthe left side of the notional automobile 2950. The container 2902C alsoincludes an anchor, which, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B and 1C, maybe a high-friction material, one or more suction cups, straps, one ormore magnets, or another type of anchor for non-invasively maintainingthe container in position on the notional automobile 2950. The coveringmember 2904 is secured to the container 2902C at a predeterminedposition of the covering member 2904. More particularly, the coveringmember 2904 is secured to the container so that the container is alignedwith the portion of the covering member 2904 that will cover the roof ofthe notional automobile 2950, and in alignment with the definedorientation of the container 2902C. As shown in FIG. 29A, the container2902 is placed at a predetermined position of the notional automobile2950 corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member2904. In the illustrated embodiment, this predetermined position is onthe roof of the notional automobile 2950, with the defined orientationof the container 2902C matching an orientation of the notional object tobe covered (i.e. the flap on the lid of the container 2902C pointingtoward the left side of the notional automobile 2950). Placing thecontainer 2902C on the roof of the notional automobile 2950, with thecovering member 2904C contained therein, aligns the automobile-coveringshape of the covering member 2904 with the shape of the notionalautomobile 2950. This permits rapid deployment of the covering member2904C once the walls of the container 2902C are collapsed outwardly(i.e. the container 2902C is moved to the deployment configuration),since the portion of the covering member 2904C intended to cover theroof of the notional automobile 2950 is aligned with the roof of thenotional automobile 2950 and anchored in position. FIG. 29D shows thecovering member 2904C having been deployed to cover the notionalautomobile 2950.

In FIGS. 29E and 29F, a third cover assembly 2900E for covering thenotional automobile 2950 is shown. The cover assembly 2900E is anupright bag-type, and as such the container takes the form of an uprightbag 2902E comprising a circumferential wall extending upwardly from abase having an anchor, such as a high-friction material, one or moresuction cups, straps, one or more magnets, or another type of anchor fornon-invasively maintaining the bag in position. The cover assembly 2900Ealso includes a covering member 2904E that is sized and shaped to coverthe notional automobile 2950. Thus, the cover assembly 2900E may besubstantially identical to any of the upright bag-type cover assemblies3600, 3600D, 3600F and 3600H, and the bag 2900E therefore has acontainment configuration enabling containment of the covering member2904E as well as a deployment configuration facilitating deployment ofthe covering member 2904E. FIG. 29E shows the bag 2902E in thecontainment configuration. As has been explained, the bag 2902C also hasa defined orientation relative to the notional automobile 2950. In theillustrated embodiment, a marking such as marking 3640, 3640D, 3640F,3640H (not shown in FIGS. 29E and 29F) is disposed on the bag 2902E, andthe specific orientation is defined by having the marking on the bag2902C face toward the front of the notional automobile 2950. The bag2902C also includes an anchor disposed on its base, which, as depictedin FIGS. 36A to 36I, may comprise a high-friction material, one or moresuction cups, straps, one or more magnets, or any other suitable type ofanchor for non-invasively maintaining the bag in position on thenotional automobile 2950. The covering member 2904E is secured to thebag 2902E at a predetermined position of the covering member 2904E;specifically, the covering member 2904E is secured to the bag 2902E withthe bag 2902E in alignment with the portion of the covering member 2904Ethat will cover the roof of the notional automobile 2950, and inalignment with the orientation of the bag 2902E as defined by themarking thereon. FIG. 29E shows the bag 2902E having been placed at apredetermined position of the notional automobile 2950 corresponding tothe predetermined position of the covering member 2904, that is, on theroof of the notional automobile 2950, with the marking on the bag 2902Epointing toward the front of the car so that the defined orientation ofthe bag 2902E matches the orientation of the notional automobile 2950.By so placing the bag 2902E, which has the covering member 2904Econtained inside, the user has aligned the car-covering shape of thecovering member 2904E with the shape of the notional automobile 2950.This enables the covering member 2904E to be quickly deployed once thebag 2902E is in the deployment configuration. In FIG. 29F, the coveringmember 2904E has been deployed to cover the notional automobile 2950.

FIGS. 29G and 29H depict a fourth cover assembly 2900G for covering anotional car, such as the notional automobile 2950. As shown in FIG.29G, the cover assembly 2900G has been positioned on the roof of thenotional automobile 2950. The cover assembly 2900G is a longitudinalbag-type cover assembly, and the container therefore takes the form of alongitudinal bag 2902G comprising two opposed side portions secured to arigid base having an anchor, such as a high-friction material, one ormore suction cups, straps, one or more magnets, or another type ofanchor for non-invasively maintaining the bag in position. The coverassembly 2900G also includes a covering member 2904G which has a sizeand shape corresponding to the notional automobile 2950. Thus, the coverassembly 2900G may be substantially identical to any of the longitudinalbag-type cover assemblies 3700, 3700C, 3700E and 3700G, and the bag2902G is therefore selectively configurable between a containmentconfiguration, in which the covering member 2904G is contained by thebag 2902G, and a deployment configuration from which the covering member2904G may be deployed. FIG. 29G depicts the bag 2902G in the containmentconfiguration. The bag 2902G also has a defined orientation relative tothe notional automobile 2950 which, in the particular embodimentdepicted, is provided by way of a marking such as marking 3740, 3740D,3740F, 3740H (not shown in FIGS. 29G and 29H) on the bag 2902G. Moreparticularly, in the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 29G and 29Hthe orientation of the bag 2902G is defined by having the marking on thebag 2902G face toward the right of the notional automobile 2950. The bag2902G also includes an anchor disposed on its base; the anchor maycomprise a high-friction material, one or more suction cups, straps, oneor more magnets, or any other suitable type of anchor for non-invasivelymaintaining the bag in position, as depicted in FIGS. 37A to 36H. Thecovering member 2904G is secured to the bag 2902G at a predeterminedposition of the covering member 2904E, so that the bag 2902G ispositioned in alignment with the portion of the covering member 2904Gthat will cover the roof of the notional automobile 2950, and matchingthe orientation of the bag 2902G as defined by the marking thereon. FIG.29G shows the bag 2902G having been placed at a predetermined positionof the notional automobile 2950, which is the roof of the notionalautomobile 2950, with the marking on the bag 2902G pointing toward theright side of the car so that the defined orientation of the bag 2902Gmatches the orientation of the notional automobile 2950. Positioning thebag at this location will align the car-covering shape of the coveringmember 2904G with the shape of the notional automobile 2950. Thisenables a user to move the bag 2902G into the deployment configurationand then deploy the covering member 2904G to cover the notionalautomobile 2950, as shown in FIG. 29H.

FIGS. 30A and 30B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3000Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionalwatercraft 3050. The cover assembly 3000A comprises a container 3002Aand a covering member 3004A, and is substantially identical to the coverassembly 2900A except that the covering member 3004A is sized and shapedto effectively cover the notional watercraft 3050. The predeterminedposition of the covering member 3004A, which is secured to the container3002A, is the portion that will cover the seat of the notionalwatercraft 3050, and the predetermined position of the notionalwatercraft 3050 is the seat thereof. FIG. 30A shows the cover assembly3000A anchored on the seat of the notional watercraft 3050 with thecontainer 3002A in the closed configuration with the covering member3004A contained therein, and FIG. 30B shows cover assembly 3000A withthe covering member 3004A deployed to cover the notional watercraft3050.

FIGS. 30C and 30D depict a second embodiment 3000C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional watercraft 3050. The cover assembly 3000C comprises a container3002C and a covering member 3004C, and is substantially identical to thecover assembly 2900C except that the covering member 3004C is sized andshaped to match the shape of the notional watercraft 3050 to be covered.The predetermined position of the covering member 3004C, which issecured to the container 3002C, is the portion that will cover the seatof the notional watercraft 3050, and the predetermined position of thenotional watercraft 3050 is the seat thereof FIG. 30C shows the coverassembly 3000C anchored on the seat of the notional watercraft 3050 withthe container 3002C in the closed configuration (so that the coveringmember 3004C is disposed inside the container 3002C), and FIG. 30D showscover assembly 3000C with the covering member 3004C deployed to coverthe notional watercraft 3050.

In FIGS. 30E and 30F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional watercraft 3050 according to an aspect of thepresent invention, is indicated generally at 3000E. The cover assembly3000E comprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3002E and acovering member 3004E. The covering member 3004E has a size and shapecorresponding to those of the notional watercraft 3050 to be covered,but aside from this difference is substantially identical to the coverassembly 2900E. The predetermined position of the covering member 3004E,which is secured to the container 3002E, is the portion that will coverthe seat of the notional watercraft 3050, and the predetermined positionof the notional watercraft 3050 is the seat thereof. In FIG. 30E, thecover assembly 3000E is shown anchored on the seat of the notionalwatercraft 3050 with the upright bag 3002E in the closed configurationand thereby containing the covering member 3004E. FIG. 30D shows thecover assembly 3000E with the covering member 3004E in the deployedposition, covering the notional watercraft 3050.

With reference now to FIGS. 30G and 30H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional watercraft 3050 according to an aspectof the present invention is denoted generally at 3000G. The coverassembly 3000G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag3002G and a covering member 3004G. The size and the shape of thecovering member 3004G are such as to enable the covering member 3004G toeffectively cover the notional watercraft 3050; the cover assembly 300Gis otherwise substantially identical to the cover assembly 2900G. Thepredetermined position of the covering member 3004G, which is secured tothe container 3002G, is in this case the portion that will cover theseat of the notional watercraft 3050, and the predetermined position ofthe notional watercraft 3050 is the seat thereof. FIG. 30G depicts thecover assembly 3000G with the container 3002G in the closedconfiguration to contain the covering member 3004G, with the container3002G anchored on the seat of the notional watercraft 3050. In FIG. 30Hthe cover assembly 3000G is shown with the covering member 3004G havingbeen deployed to cover the notional watercraft 3050.

FIGS. 31A and 31B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3100Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionaltrailer 3150. The cover assembly 3100A comprises a container 3102A and acovering member 3104A, and is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900A, 3000A except that the covering member 3104A is sizedand shaped to effectively cover the notional trailer 3150. Thepredetermined position of the covering member 3104A, which is secured tothe container 3102A, corresponds to a predetermined upper surface of thetrailer 3150. FIG. 31A shows the cover assembly 3100A anchored on theupper surface of the notional trailer 3150 with the container 3102A inthe closed configuration with the covering member 3104A containedtherein, and FIG. 31B shows cover assembly 3100A with the coveringmember 3104A deployed to cover the notional trailer 3150.

FIGS. 31C and 31D depict a second embodiment 3100C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional trailer 3150. The cover assembly 3100C comprises a container3102C and a covering member 3104C, and is substantially identical to thecover assemblies 2900C, 3000C except that the covering member 3104C issized and shaped to match the shape of the notional trailer 3150 to becovered. The predetermined position of the covering member 3104C, whichis secured to the container 3102C, corresponds to a predetermined uppersurface of the trailer 3150. FIG. 31C shows the cover assembly 3100Canchored on the upper surface of the notional trailer 3150 with thecontainer 3102C in the closed configuration (so that the covering member3104C is disposed inside the container 3102C), and FIG. 31D shows thecover assembly 3100C with the covering member 3104C deployed to coverthe notional trailer 3150.

In FIGS. 31E and 31F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional trailer 3150 according to an aspect of the presentinvention, is indicated generally at 3100E. The cover assembly 3100Ecomprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3102E and a coveringmember 3104E. The covering member 3104C has a size and shapecorresponding to those of the notional trailer 3150 to be covered, butaside from this difference is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900E, 3000E. The predetermined position of the coveringmember 3104E, which is secured to the container 3102E, corresponds to apredetermined upper surface of the trailer 3150. In FIG. 31E, the coverassembly 3100E is shown anchored on the upper surface of the notionaltrailer 3150 with the upright bag 3102E in the closed configuration andthereby containing the covering member 3104E. FIG. 31F shows the coverassembly 3100E with the covering member 3104E in the deployed position,covering the notional trailer 3150.

With reference now to FIGS. 31G and 31H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional trailer 3150 according to an aspect ofthe present invention is denoted generally at 3100G. The cover assembly3100G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag 3102G anda covering member 3104G. The size and the shape of the covering member3104G are such as to enable the covering member 3104G to effectivelycover the notional trailer 3150; the cover assembly 310G is otherwisesubstantially identical to the cover assemblies 2900G, 3000G. Thepredetermined position of the covering member 3104G, which is secured tothe container 3102G, corresponds to a predetermined upper surface of thetrailer 3150. FIG. 31G depicts the cover assembly 3100G with thecontainer 3102G in the closed configuration to contain the coveringmember 3104G, with the container 3102G anchored on the predeterminedupper surface of the notional trailer 3150. In FIG. 31H the coverassembly 3100G is shown with the covering member 3104G having beendeployed to cover the notional trailer 3150.

FIGS. 32A and 32B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3200Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionalsnowmobile 3250. The cover assembly 3200A comprises a container 3202Aand a covering member 3204A, and is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900A, 3000A, 3100A except that the covering member 3204A issized and shaped to effectively cover the notional snowmobile 3250. Thepredetermined position of the covering member 3204A, at which thecontainer 3202A is secured to the covering member 3204A, is in this casethe portion that will cover the seat of the notional snowmobile 3250,and the predetermined position of the notional snowmobile 3250 is theseat thereof. FIG. 32A shows the cover assembly 3200A anchored on theseat of the notional snowmobile 3250 with the container 3202A in theclosed configuration with the covering member 3204A contained therein,and FIG. 32B shows cover assembly 3200A with the covering member 3204Adeployed to cover the notional snowmobile 3250.

FIGS. 32C and 32D depict a second embodiment 3200C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional snowmobile 3250. The cover assembly 3200C comprises a container3202C and a covering member 3204C, and is substantially identical to thecover assemblies 2900C, 3000C, 3100C except that the covering member3204C is sized and shaped to match the shape of the notional snowmobile3250 to be covered. The predetermined position of the covering member3204C, at which the container 3202C is secured to the covering member3204C, is in this case the portion that will cover the seat of thenotional snowmobile 3250, and the predetermined position of the notionalsnowmobile 3250 is the seat thereof. FIG. 32C shows the cover assembly3200C anchored on the seat of the notional snowmobile 3250 with thecontainer 3202C in the closed configuration (so that the covering member3204C is disposed inside the container 3202C), and FIG. 32D shows thecover assembly 3200C with the covering member 3204C deployed to coverthe notional snowmobile 3250.

In FIGS. 32E and 32F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional snowmobile 3250 according to an aspect of thepresent invention, is indicated generally at 3200E. The cover assembly3200E comprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3202E and acovering member 3204E. The covering member 3204C has a size and shapecorresponding to those of the notional snowmobile 3250 to be covered,but aside from this difference is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900E, 3000E, 3100E. The predetermined position of thecovering member 3204E, at which the container 3202E is secured to thecovering member 3204E, is in this case the portion that will cover theseat of the notional snowmobile 3250, and the predetermined position ofthe notional snowmobile 3250 is the seat thereof. In FIG. 32E, the coverassembly 3200E is shown anchored on the seat of the notional snowmobile3250 with the upright bag 3202E in the closed configuration and therebycontaining the covering member 3204E. FIG. 32D shows the cover assembly3200E with the covering member 3204E in the deployed position, coveringthe notional snowmobile 3250.

With reference now to FIGS. 32G and 32H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional snowmobile 3250 according to an aspectof the present invention is denoted generally at 3200G. The coverassembly 3200G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag3202G and a covering member 3204G. The size and the shape of thecovering member 3204G are such as to enable the covering member 3204G toeffectively cover the notional snowmobile 3250; the cover assembly 320Gis otherwise substantially identical to the cover assemblies 2900G,3000G, 3100G. The predetermined position of the covering member 3204G,at which the container 3202G is secured to the covering member 3204G, isthe portion that will cover the seat of the notional snowmobile 3250,and the predetermined position of the notional snowmobile 3250 is theseat thereof. FIG. 32G depicts the cover assembly 3200G with thecontainer 3202G in the closed configuration to contain the coveringmember 3204G, with the container 3202G anchored on the seat of thenotional snowmobile 3250. In FIG. 32H the cover assembly 3200G is shownwith the covering member 3204G having been deployed to cover thenotional snowmobile 3250.

FIGS. 33A and 33B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3300Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionalmotorcycle 3350. The cover assembly 3300A comprises a container 3302Aand a covering member 3304A, and is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900A, 3000A, 310A, 3200A except that the covering member3304A is sized and shaped to effectively cover the notional motorcycle3350. The predetermined position of the covering member 3304A at whichit is secured to the container 3302A is in this case the portion thatwill cover the upper surface of the fuel tank of the notional motorcycle3350, and the predetermined position of the notional motorcycle 3350 isthe upper surface of its fuel tank. FIG. 33A shows the cover assembly3300A anchored on the upper surface of the fuel tank of the notionalmotorcycle 3350 with the container 3302A in the closed configurationwith the covering member 3304A contained therein, and FIG. 33B showscover assembly 3300A with the covering member 3304A deployed to coverthe notional motorcycle 3350.

FIGS. 33C and 33D depict a second embodiment 3300C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional motorcycle 3350. The cover assembly 3300C comprises a container3302C and a covering member 3304C, and is substantially identical to thecover assemblies 2900C, 3000C, 3100C, 3200C except that the coveringmember 3304C is sized and shaped to match the shape of the notionalmotorcycle 3350 to be covered. The predetermined position of thecovering member 3304C at which it is secured to the container 3302C isthe portion that will cover the upper surface of the fuel tank of thenotional motorcycle 3350, and the predetermined position of the notionalmotorcycle 3350 is the upper surface of its fuel tank. FIG. 33C showsthe cover assembly 3300C anchored on the upper surface of the fuel tankof the notional motorcycle 3350 with the container 3302C in the closedconfiguration (so that the covering member 3304C is disposed inside thecontainer 3302C), and FIG. 33D shows the cover assembly 3300C with thecovering member 3304C deployed to cover the notional motorcycle 3350.

In FIGS. 33E and 33F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional motorcycle 3350 according to an aspect of thepresent invention, is indicated generally at 3300E. The cover assembly3300E comprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3302E and acovering member 3304E. The covering member 3304C has a size and shapecorresponding to those of the notional motorcycle 3350 to be covered,but aside from this difference is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900E, 3000E, 3100E, 3200E. The predetermined position of thecovering member 3304E at which it is secured to the container 3302E isin this case the portion that will cover the upper surface of the fueltank of the notional motorcycle 3350, and the predetermined position ofthe notional motorcycle 3350 is the upper surface of its fuel tank. InFIG. 33E, the cover assembly 3300E is shown anchored on the uppersurface of the fuel tank of the notional motorcycle 3350 with theupright bag 3302E in the closed configuration and thereby containing thecovering member 3304E. FIG. 33D shows the cover assembly 3300E with thecovering member 3304E in the deployed position, covering the notionalmotorcycle 3350.

With reference now to FIGS. 33G and 33H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional motorcycle 3350 according to an aspectof the present invention is denoted generally at 3300G. The coverassembly 3300G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag3302G and a covering member 3304G. The size and the shape of thecovering member 3304G are such as to enable the covering member 3304G toeffectively cover the notional motorcycle 3350; the cover assembly 330Gis otherwise substantially identical to the cover assemblies 2900G,3000G, 3100G, 3200G. The predetermined position of the covering member3304G at which it is secured to the container 3302G is in this case theportion that will cover the upper surface of the fuel tank of thenotional motorcycle 3350, and the predetermined position of the notionalmotorcycle 3350 is the upper surface of its fuel tank. FIG. 33G depictsthe cover assembly 3300G with the container 3302G in the closedconfiguration to contain the covering member 3304G, with the container3302G anchored on the upper surface of the fuel tank of the notionalmotorcycle 3350. In FIG. 33H the cover assembly 3300G is shown with thecovering member 3304G having been deployed to cover the notionalmotorcycle 3350.

FIGS. 34A and 34B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3400Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionalset of patio furniture 3450 comprising chairs 3452 and a table 3454. Assuch, it is to be understood that the term “object” as used herein mayrefer to a single object, such as the notional barbecues B and B, ornotional automobile 2950, etc., or to a set of objects that are intendedto be covered together as a set. The cover assembly 3400A comprises acontainer 3402A and a covering member 3404A, and is substantiallyidentical to the cover assemblies 2900A, 3000A, 3100A, 3200A, 3300Aexcept that the covering member 3404A is sized and shaped to effectivelycover the notional set of patio furniture 3450. The predeterminedposition where the covering member 3404A is secured to the container3402A is the portion that will cover the central upper surface of thenotional table 3454, and the predetermined position of the notional setof patio furniture 3450 is the central upper surface of the notionaltable 3454. FIG. 34A shows the cover assembly 3400A anchored on theupper surface of the notional table 3454 with the container 3402A in theclosed configuration with the covering member 3404A contained therein,and FIG. 34B shows cover assembly 3400A with the covering member 3404Adeployed to cover the notional set of patio furniture 3450.

FIGS. 34C and 34D depict a second embodiment 3400C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional set of patio furniture 3450. The cover assembly 3400C comprisesa container 3402C and a covering member 3404C, and is substantiallyidentical to the cover assemblies 2900C, 3000C, 3100C, 3200C, 3300Cexcept that the covering member 3404C is sized and shaped to match theshape of the notional set of patio furniture 3450 that is to be covered.The predetermined position where the covering member 3404C is secured tothe container 3402C is the portion that will cover the central uppersurface of the notional table 3454, and the predetermined position ofthe notional set of patio furniture 3450 is the central upper surface ofthe notional table 3454. FIG. 34C shows the cover assembly 3400Canchored on the upper surface of the notional table 3454 with thecontainer 3402C in the closed configuration (so that the covering member3404C is disposed inside the container 3402C), and FIG. 34D shows thecover assembly 3400C with the covering member 3404C deployed to coverthe notional set of patio furniture 3450.

In FIGS. 34E and 34F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional set of patio furniture 3450 according to an aspectof the present invention, is indicated generally at 3400E. The coverassembly 3400E comprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3402Eand a covering member 3404E. The covering member 3404C has a size andshape corresponding to those of the notional set of patio furniture 3450to be covered, but aside from this difference is substantially identicalto the cover assemblies 2900E, 3000E, 3100E, 3200E, 3300E. Thepredetermined position where the covering member 3404E is secured to thecontainer 3402E is the portion that will cover the central upper surfaceof the notional table 3454, and the predetermined position of thenotional set of patio furniture 3450 is the central upper surface of thenotional table 3454. In FIG. 34E, the cover assembly 3400E is shownanchored on the upper surface of the notional table 3454 with theupright bag 3402E in the closed configuration and thereby containing thecovering member 3404E. FIG. 34D shows the cover assembly 3400E with thecovering member 3404E in the deployed position, covering the notionalset of patio furniture 3450.

With reference now to FIGS. 34G and 34H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional set of patio furniture 3450 accordingto an aspect of the present invention is denoted generally at 3400G. Thecover assembly 3400G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinalbag 3402G and a covering member 3404G. The size and the shape of thecovering member 3404G are such as to enable the covering member 3404G toeffectively cover the notional set of patio furniture 3450; the coverassembly 340G is otherwise substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900G, 3000G, 3100G, 3200G, 3300G. The predetermined positionwhere the covering member 3404G is secured to the container 3402G is theportion that will cover the central upper surface of the notional table3454, and the predetermined position of the notional set of patiofurniture 3450 is the central upper surface of the notional table 3454.FIG. 34G depicts the cover assembly 3400G with the container 3402G inthe closed configuration to contain the covering member 3404G, with thecontainer 3402G anchored on the upper surface of the notional table3454. In FIG. 34H the cover assembly 3400G is shown with the coveringmember 3404G having been deployed to cover the notional set of patiofurniture 3450.

FIGS. 35A and 35B show a first embodiment of a cover assembly 3500Aaccording to an aspect of the present invention for covering a notionaltool chest 3550. The cover assembly 3500A comprises a container 3502Aand a covering member 3504A, and is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900A, 3000A, 310A, 3200A, 3300A, 3400A except that thecovering member 3504A is sized and shaped to effectively cover thenotional tool chest 3550. The upper portion of the covering member 3504Ais secured to the container 3502A, and corresponds to the top of thenotional tool chest 3550. FIG. 35A shows the cover assembly 3500Aanchored on the top of the notional tool chest 3550 with the container3502A in the closed configuration with the covering member 3504Acontained therein, and FIG. 35B shows cover assembly 3500A with thecovering member 3504A deployed to cover the notional tool chest 3550.

FIGS. 35C and 35D depict a second embodiment 3500C of a cover assemblyaccording to an aspect of the present invention, also for covering anotional tool chest 3550. The cover assembly 3500C comprises a container3502C and a covering member 3504C, and is substantially identical to thecover assemblies 2900C, 3000C, 3100C, 3200C, 3300C, 3400C except thatthe covering member 3504C is sized and shaped to match the shape of thenotional tool chest 3550 to be covered. The upper portion of thecovering member 3504C is secured to the container 3502C, and correspondsto the top of the notional tool chest 3550. FIG. 35C shows the coverassembly 3500C anchored on the top of the notional tool chest 3550 withthe container 3502C in the closed configuration (so that the coveringmember 3504C is disposed inside the container 3502C), and FIG. 35D showsthe cover assembly 3500C with the covering member 3504C deployed tocover the notional tool chest 3550.

In FIGS. 35E and 35F, a third embodiment of a cover assembly forcovering a notional tool chest 3550 according to an aspect of thepresent invention, is indicated generally at 3500E. The cover assembly3500E comprises a container in the form of an upright bag 3502E and acovering member 3504E. The covering member 3504C has a size and shapecorresponding to those of the notional tool chest 3550 to be covered,but aside from this difference is substantially identical to the coverassemblies 2900E, 3000E, 3100E, 3200E, 3300E, 3400E. The upper portionof the covering member 3504E is secured to the container 3502E, andcorresponds to the top of the notional tool chest 3550. In FIG. 35E, thecover assembly 3500E is shown anchored on the top of the notional toolchest 3550 with the upright bag 3502E in the closed configuration andthereby containing the covering member 3504E. FIG. 35D shows the coverassembly 3500E with the covering member 3504E in the deployed position,covering the notional tool chest 3550.

With reference now to FIGS. 35G and 35H, a fourth embodiment of a coverassembly for covering a notional tool chest 3550 according to an aspectof the present invention is denoted generally at 3500G. The coverassembly 3500G comprises a container in the form of a longitudinal bag3502G and a covering member 3504G. The size and the shape of thecovering member 3504G are such as to enable the covering member 3504G toeffectively cover the notional tool chest 3550; the cover assembly 350Gis otherwise substantially identical to the cover assemblies 2900G,3000G, 3100G, 3200G, 3300G, 3400G. The upper portion of the coveringmember 3504G is secured to the container 3502G, and corresponds to thetop of the notional tool chest 3550. FIG. 35G depicts the cover assembly3500G with the container 3502G in the closed configuration to containthe covering member 3504G, with the container 3502G anchored on the topof the notional tool chest 3550. In FIG. 35H the cover assembly 3500G isshown with the covering member 3504G having been deployed to cover thenotional tool chest 3550.

FIGS. 38A to 38I illustrate deployment of a further exemplary embodiment3800 of a cover assembly according to an aspect of the present inventionto cover a notional automobile 3850. The cover assembly 3800 comprises agenerally box-shaped container 3802 formed from a flexible fabricmaterial, and a covering member 3804 formed from a similar or identicalmaterial. The container 3802 comprises two opposed halves which may besecured in facing relation to one another, so that the container 3802has a containment configuration for containing the covering member 3804.The two opposed halves may be collapsed away from one another to definea deployment configuration from which the covering member 3804 may bedeployed. FIG. 38A shows the container 3802 in the containmentconfiguration; in FIGS. 38B to 38I the container 3802 is in thecollapsed or deployment configuration. In the illustrated embodiment,the two opposed halves may be secured to one another by way of a zippercomprising two zipper halves extending along the facing edges of the twoopposed halves. An anchor is disposed on the flat underside of thecontainer 3802, which may be a layer of high-friction material, one ormore suction cups, one or more sets of straps, one or more magnets, oranother type of anchor.

The container 3802 has a defined orientation relative to the notionalautomobile 30; in the illustrated embodiment this orientation is definedby a marking 3840 on the container 3802 indicating that the markingshould face toward the front of the notional automobile 3850. Thecovering member 3804 has an automobile-covering shape, and is secured tothe container at the portion of the covering member 3804 correspondingto the hood 3870 of the notional automobile 3850. The covering member3804 is secured, at the portion thereof corresponding to the hood 3870,to the container 3802 so as to be in alignment with the orientation ofthe container 3802 as defined by the marking 3840. Thus, placing thecontainer 3802 on the hood 3870 of the notional automobile 3850 with themarking 3840 on the container 3802 facing the front of the notionalautomobile 3850 (so that the defined orientation of the container 3802matches the orientation of the notional automobile 3850) aligns theautomobile-covering shape of the covering member 3802 with the shape ofthe notional automobile 3850.

Once the container 3802 has been placed on the hood 3870 of the notionalautomobile 3850, the container may be configured into the deploymentconfiguration, and a user 3896 can begin to unfurl the covering member,as shown in FIGS. 38B and 38C. In the illustrated embodiment, duringstorage of the covering member 3804 in the container 3802, the sideportions 3820 of the covering member 3804 (corresponding to the sides3858 of the notional automobile 3850) are rolled or folded toward thecentral portion 3822 of the covering member 3804 (corresponding to thecentral length of the notional automobile 3850 as defined by its hood3870, roof 3880 and trunk/hatchback 3890). The side portions 3820 of thecovering member 3804 may be secured in the aforementioned rolled orfolded condition by fasteners 3828, which may be hook-and-loopfasteners, snap fasteners, magnetic fasteners, or any other suitabletype of fasteners.

Securing the side portions 3820 of the covering member 3804 in therolled or folded condition adjacent the central portion 3822 of thecovering member 3804 facilitates deployment of the covering member 3804by making it easier to align the central portion 3822 of the coveringmember 3804 with the hood 3870, roof 3880 and trunk/hatchback 3890 ofthe notional automobile 3850 and extend the covering member 3804lengthwise along the length of the notional automobile 3850. Thisalignment is best seen in FIG. 38D. To further support this lengthwiseextension of the covering member 3804 along the notional automobile3850, a plurality of loops 3842 are provided along the width of thecovering member 3804 at the end of the covering member 3804corresponding to the trunk/hatchback 3890 of the notional automobile3850. By inserting a rigid or substantially rigid pole 3844 through theloops 3842, the user 3896 can extend the covering member 3804 along thelength of the notional automobile 3850, including over the roof 3880 andtrunk/hatchback 3890 thereof, while standing on one side of the notionalautomobile 3850. This process is shown in FIGS. 38C to 38F. Thisfeature, and the deployment technique enabled thereby, is particularlyadvantageous when the notional automobile 3850 to be covered has a highroof, such as a van, minivan, pickup truck or sport utility vehicle.

Once the covering member 3804 has been extended along the length of thenotional automobile 3850, the side portions 3820 of the covering member3804 may be unfastened from the central portion 3822 of the coveringmember 3804 and unrolled or unfolded to cover the sides 3858 of thenotional automobile 3850, as shown in FIGS. 38H and 38I. Optionally, oneor more elastic members (not shown) may be provided at the outerperimeter of the covering member 3804, in a manner analogous to theelastic portions of a fitted bed-sheet, to assist in maintaining thedeployed covering member 3804 in position on the notional automobile3850. Removal of the covering member 3804 and return of the container3802 to the closed or containment configuration is essentially thereverse of the process described above.

FIGS. 38J and 38K show an exemplary embodiment of a rigid orsubstantially rigid pole 3844 which may be inserted through the loops3842 provided along the width of the covering member 3804 at the endthereof. The pole 3844 is collapsible, and is made from a plurality ofnesting pole segments 3846. The intermediate pole segments 3846 arehollow tubes, and each have one open end 3847 and one region of reduceddiameter 3848 which can fit into the open end 3847 of the adjacent polesegment 3846. (The pole segments 3846 defining the ends of the pole 3844may each omit one of the open end and the region of reduced diameter,since these pole segments 3846 will only be adjacent to one other polesegment 3846.) By making the pole 3844 collapsible, it can easily bestored within the container 3802, such as on top of the folded orbunched cover member 3804, or a specialized compartment may be providedas part of the container 3802. Optionally, a telescopic pole may be usedas the collapsible pole instead of the pole 3844.

A cover assembly according to an aspect of the present invention mayform part of a package. Such a package would include a cover assembly,such as any of the cover assemblies described herein. As such, the coverassembly would include a covering member having an object-coveringshape, and a container for containing the covering member, with thecontainer having a containment configuration for containing the coveringmember and a deployment configuration for deploying the covering member,and also having a defined orientation relative to the notional object tobe covered and an anchor for maintaining the container in position onthe notional object. As described above, the covering member would besecured to the container at a predetermined position of the coveringmember. The package would also include a substrate having instructionsto place the container at a predetermined position of the notionalobject to be covered corresponding to the predetermined position of thecovering member with the defined orientation of the container matchingthe notional object to be covered. Thus, by following the instructions,a user will be able to position the container so that theobject-covering shape of the covering member will be aligned with theshape of the notional object to be covered.

FIG. 39A shows a cover assembly package 3900A comprising a coverassembly 3910A including a collapsible box-type container 3902A having ahigh-friction material 3907A on its underside, as well as a set ofinstructions 3960A. FIG. 39B depicts a cover assembly package 3900Bcomprising a cover assembly 3910B including a collapsible box-typecontainer 3902B whose underside has suction cups 3915B disposed thereon,along with a set of instructions 3960B. FIG. 39C illustrates a coverassembly package 3900C comprising a cover assembly 3910C including acollapsible box-type container 3902C having straps 3917B secured to thecontainer 3902C, together with a set of instructions 3960C. FIG. 39Dshows a cover assembly package 3900D comprising a cover assembly 3910Dincluding a collapsible box-type container 3902D having magnets 3919D onits underside, as well as a set of instructions 3960D.

FIG. 40A shows a cover assembly package 4000A comprising a coverassembly 4010A including a clamshell-type container 4002A having ahigh-friction material 4007A on a clamshell portion thereof, as well asa set of instructions 4060A. FIG. 40B depicts a cover assembly package4000B comprising a cover assembly 4010B including a clamshell-typecontainer 4002B whose having suction cups 4015B disposed thereon, alongwith a set of instructions 4060B. FIG. 40C illustrates a cover assemblypackage 4000C comprising a cover assembly 4010C including aclamshell-type container 4002C having straps 4017B secured to thecontainer 4002C, together with a set of instructions 4060C. FIG. 40Dshows a cover assembly package 4000D comprising a cover assembly 4010Dincluding a clamshell-type container 4002D having magnets 4019D, as wellas a set of instructions 4060D.

FIG. 41A shows a cover assembly package 4100A comprising a coverassembly 4110A including an upright bag-type container 4102A having ahigh-friction material 4107A on its underside, as well as a set ofinstructions 4160A. FIG. 41B depicts a cover assembly package 4100Bcomprising a cover assembly 4110B including an upright bag-typecontainer 4102B whose underside has suction cups 4115B disposed thereon,along with a set of instructions 4160B. FIG. 41C illustrates a coverassembly package 4100C comprising a cover assembly 4110C including anupright bag-type container 4102C having straps 4117B secured to thecontainer 4102C, together with a set of instructions 4160C. FIG. 41Dshows a cover assembly package 4100D comprising a cover assembly 4110Dincluding an upright bag-type container 4102D having magnets 4119D onits underside, as well as a set of instructions 4160D.

FIG. 42A shows a cover assembly package 4200A comprising a coverassembly 4210A including a longitudinal bag-type container 4202A havinga high-friction material 4207A on its underside, as well as a set ofinstructions 4260A. FIG. 42B depicts a cover assembly package 4200Bcomprising a cover assembly 4210B including a longitudinal bag-typecontainer 4202B whose underside has suction cups 4215B disposed thereon,along with a set of instructions 4260B. FIG. 42C illustrates a coverassembly package 4200C comprising a cover assembly 4210C including alongitudinal bag-type container 4202C having straps 4217B secured to thecontainer 4202C, together with a set of instructions 4260C. FIG. 42Dshows a cover assembly package 4200D comprising a cover assembly 4210Dincluding a longitudinal bag-type container 4202D having magnets 4219Don its underside, as well as a set of instructions 4260D.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 39A to 39D, 40A to 40D, 41A to 41D and42A to 42D, the substrate containing the instructions has been depictedas a separate sheet of paper, typical of the written instructionsfrequently included in consumer products. In other embodiments, thesubstrate carrying the instructions may be a retail package in which thecover assembly is enclosed, or may be a machine-readable medium such asa CD-ROM, DVD, or USB thumb-drive carrying machine readable instructionsfor placement of the container of the cover assembly. Alternatively, thesubstrate carrying the instructions may be attached to or form part ofthe container. For example, instructions for placement of the containermay be printed on an outer surface of the container. Moreover, theinstructions may be written instructions in any language, or may bepictorial instructions, or may be a combination of written and pictorialinstructions.

Various types of anchor have been described for maintaining a containerin position on a notional object to be covered. Anchors on containersaccording to an aspect of the present invention may also include a firstmating portion of a set of mating fastener pairs, with the second matingportion of the set being secured to the notional object to be covered.By way of example, and without limitation, a container may have one of ahook portion or a loop portion of a hook-and-loop fastener pair, and theother of the hook portion or loop portion may be secured to the notionalobject to be covered at the predetermined position thereof.

Reference has been made herein to the use of flexible fabric material.Fabric materials which may be used for covering members according toaspects of the present invention may include synthetic materials, suchas PVC, polyester-backed PVC, polyester, PVC-backed polyester,spun-bonded non-woven material (polypropylene), polyurethane-coatedpolyester, polyethylene-coated polyester, as well as natural materialssuch as leather, bamboo, hemp, and other organic/eco-friendly fibers.Similar materials may be used for constructing containers according toaspects of the present invention; where a container includes rigidcomponents, such as the collapsible box-type containers, somereinforcement will be required to provide the rigidity. For example,rigid components of a container may be made from corrugated polyethylenesandwiched between two layers of polyester-supported PVC material.

Covering members according to aspects of the present invention may be ofunitary construction (although they may be assembled by stitching orotherwise securing several pieces of material together), or may comprisea plurality of portions, such as a main portion and side portions andwherein only part of the inner edge of the side portion is bepermanently secured to the main portion, with the remaining part of theinner edge being detachably connectable, such as by zippers, to the mainportion after deployment. An example of a barbecue cover of this type isshown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20070283946 A1, whichis co-owned by the assignee hereof. Also, a cover member according to anaspect of the present invention may be provided with hook-and-loopfastening straps at its lower, outer edges, to assist in securing thebarbecue cover to the notional barbecue with which it will be used. Suchstraps could be fastened to one another either to tighten the loweredges of the cover around the base of the notional barbecue, or could beused to secure the lower edges of the cover directly to the notionalobject to be covered.

Reference has been made herein to the use of hook-and-loop fasteningarrangements. Hook-and-loop fasteners made by entities other than VelcroIndustries B.V. and its affiliates may also be used, subject to anyrelevant intellectual property rights, without departing from the scopeof the present invention. Moreover, other suitable fasteners, includingbut not limited to snap-fasteners and magnetic fasteners, may also beused without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Optionally, a container for a cover assembly according to an aspect ofthe present invention may have a trademark or other promotional imagedisposed thereon, either that of the manufacturer or that of a thirdparty who has retained the manufacturer. For example, a barbecuemanufacturer or retailer may wish to place its trademark on the lid of acontainer for a cover assembly according to an aspect of the presentinvention, and offer the cover assembly either as a separate product oras a promotional item to incent purchase of a barbecue.

Reference has been made herein to notional exemplary barbecues, denotedby the references “B” and “B2”, as well as various other objects inassociation with which cover assemblies according to aspects of thepresent invention may be used. Neither the notional exemplary barbecuesB and B2, nor any other object, form part of the present invention, andany references to an object in the claims are intended solely to defineattributes of the invention and not to define any object to be coveredas a component of any embodiment of any aspect of the invention. Rather,the barbecues B, B2 and other objects shown as being covered are merelyexemplary objects representative of objects in association with whichembodiments of aspects of the present invention may be used.

In general, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that anumber of variations and modifications can be made without departingfrom the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Moreparticularly, it will be appreciated that various individual featuresfrom different exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined toproduce an embodiment not explicitly shown or described, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

1. An object-specific cover assembly for covering an object, comprising: a container having: a defined orientation relative to a notional object to be covered; and an anchor for non-invasively maintaining the container in position on the notional object to be covered; the container being movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; and a covering member having a size and shape corresponding generally to a shape of the notional object to be covered, the covering member including an upper portion corresponding to a predetermined position on an upper surface of the notional object to be covered; the covering member being containable within the container when the container is in the closed configuration and being exposed for deployment when the container is in the open configuration; the upper portion of the covering member cover being secured to the container in cooperation with the defined orientation of the container to, when the cover assembly is positioned at the predetermined position on the upper surface of the notional object to be covered with the defined orientation of the container co-oriented with the shape of the notional object to be covered, align the shape of the covering member with the notional object to be covered to, when the container is in the open configuration, permit deployment of the covering member to cover the notional object to be covered.
 2. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises a high-friction material disposed on an underside of the container. 3 . A cover assembly according to claim 2 wherein the high friction material is PVC-coated polyester scrim.
 4. A cover assembly according to claim 2 wherein the high friction material has approximately a 90 degree coefficient of friction.
 5. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position on the notional object to be covered includes at least a portion comprising magnetically attractive metal and the anchor comprises at least one magnet on the container.
 6. A cover assembly according to claim 5, wherein the at least one magnet is disposed inwardly of a layer of material.
 7. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises at least one suction cup on the container.
 8. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises straps secured to the container.
 9. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container is a box comprising a base and a plurality of wall sections secured to the base and moveable between an erected configuration defining the closed configuration and an outwardly collapsed configuration defining the open configuration, the wall sections being securable in the erected configuration.
 10. A cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the container is a bag.
 11. A cover assembly according to claim 10, wherein the container is a clamshell container comprising: a first clamshell portion and a second clamshell portion pivotingly secured to one another at respective edges thereof, and at least one fastener for securing the first and second clamshell portions in facing relation to one another; wherein the closed configuration is defined by the first and second clamshell portions being in facing relation to one another and wherein the anchor is disposed on at least one of the first and second clamshell portions.
 12. A cover assembly, comprising: a covering member having an object-covering shape; a container for containing the covering member, the container: being configurable between a containment configuration for containing the covering member and a deployment configuration for deploying the covering member; having a defined orientation relative to a notional object to be covered; and having an anchor for non-invasively maintaining the container in position on the notional object to be covered; and the covering member being secured to the container at a predetermined position of the covering member and in alignment with the defined orientation of the container; whereby placement of the container at a predetermined position of the notional object to be covered corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member with the defined orientation of the container matching an orientation of the notional object to be covered aligns the object-covering shape of the covering member with a shape of the notional object to be covered.
 13. A cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein the anchor comprises a high-friction material disposed on an underside of the container.
 14. A cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined position on the notional object to be covered includes at least a portion comprising magnetically attractive metal and the anchor comprises at least one magnet on the container.
 15. A cover assembly according to claim 14, wherein the at least one magnet is disposed inwardly of a layer of material.
 16. A cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein the anchor comprises at least one suction cup on the container.
 17. A cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein the anchor comprises straps secured to the container.
 18. A cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein the container is a box comprising a base and a plurality of wall sections secured to the base and moveable between an erected configuration defining the containment configuration and an outwardly collapsed configuration defining the deployment configuration, the wall sections being securable in the erected configuration.
 19. A cover assembly package, comprising: a cover assembly, the cover assembly comprising: a covering member having an object-covering shape; a container for containing the covering member, the container: being configurable between a containment configuration for containing the covering member and a deployment configuration for deploying the covering member; having a defined orientation relative to a notional object to be covered; and having an anchor for non-invasively maintaining the container in position on the notional object to be covered; the covering member being secured to the container at a predetermined position of the covering member and in alignment with the defined orientation of the container; and a substrate having instructions to place the container at a predetermined position of the notional object to be covered corresponding to the predetermined position of the covering member with the defined orientation of the container matching a an orientation of the notional object to be covered.
 20. A cover assembly package according to claim 19, wherein the anchor comprises a high-friction material disposed on an underside of the container.
 21. A cover assembly package according to claim 19, wherein the predetermined position on the notional object to be covered includes at least a portion comprising magnetically attractive metal and the anchor comprises at least one magnet on the container.
 22. A cover assembly package according to claim 21, wherein the at least one magnet is disposed inwardly of a layer of material.
 23. A cover assembly package according to claim 21, wherein the anchor comprises at least one suction cup on the container.
 24. A cover assembly package according to claim 21, wherein the anchor comprises straps secured to the container.
 25. A cover assembly package according to claim 21, wherein the container is a box comprising a base and a plurality of wall sections secured to the base and moveable between an erected configuration defining the containment configuration and an outwardly collapsed configuration defining the deployment configuration, the wall sections being securable in the erected configuration. 